1793-Jun.-21: Leger-Felicité Sonthonax and Etienne Polverel, the French civil commissioners in Saint-Domingue, proclaimed the first major decree of abolition…

1793-Jun.-21: Leger-Felicité Sonthonax and Etienne Polverel, the French civil commissioners in Saint-Domingue, proclaimed the first major decree of abolition for all enslaved people who fought for the Republic. Julius S. Scott explains that this move was a desperate strategic attempt to secure the loyalty of the insurgent black population against invading Spanish and British forces. The news of this proclamation spread rapidly through the Caribbean via maritime networks, challenging the existing social order across the region. It fundamentally transformed the nature of the conflict from a colonial rebellion into a war for universal emancipation.