Society of the Friends of the Blacks

The Society of the Friends of the Blacks (French: "Société des amis des Noirs" or "Amis des noirs") was a group of French men, mostly white, which were abolitionists (opponents of Black slavery and the African slave trade). The association was created on February 19, 1788, and was led by Jacques-Pierre Brissot, with advice from Thomas Clarkson who headed the abolitionist movement in the Kingdom of Great Britain. At the beginning of 1789, it had 141 members.

Character

The "Amis" advocated freedom in the French colonies, arguing that the ideas of the French Revolution should extend to the colonies. The concept of "liberté, égalité, fraternité" did not include slavery, because the National Assembly argued that the abolition would be detrimental to the French economy. The society had, as was made clear by Marquis de Condorcet's program, the abolition of slavery as its immediate goal - and campaigned for it despite calls Clarkson's call for reducing their demands (to activism against slave trade only).

Outcome

In response to the "Société des Amis Noirs", anti-abolitionist white men created the "Club Massiac". This group had gained more support from the people by indicating the revenue generated from slave colonies. However, in March 1790, the "Amis" pressured the National Constituent Assembly to create the "Committee on Colonies" (which was, nonetheless, comprised mainly of mercantilists, and representatives of traders in Bordeaux, Nantes, and Le Havre).

The Society was rendered inactive by the outbreak of the Haitian Revolution, begun as a slave rebellion, as well as by the major crisis of the First French Republic (with the start of the Revolutionary Wars). It remained active until 1793, publishing its calls in papers such as "Patriote français", "L'Analyse des papiers anglais", "Le Courrier de Provence", "La chronique de Paris".

Notable members

*Jacques Pierre Brissot
*Jean-Louis Carra
*Étienne Clavière
*Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne
*Marquis de Condorcet
*Henri Grégoire
*Marquis de La Fayette
*Dominique de La Rochefoucauld
*Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau
*Léger-Félicité Sonthonax
*Jérôme Pétion de Villeneuve
*Maximilien Robespierre

References

*1911
*Jean Tulard, Jean-François Fayard, Alfred Fierro, "Histoire et dictionnaire de la Révolution française 1789-1799", Éditions Robert Laffont, collection Bouquins.

External links

* [http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/290/ Society of the Friends of Blacks, "Address to the National Assembly in Favor of the Abolition of the Slave Trade" (5 February 1790)]
* [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k417108 Société des Amis des Noirs (France). Adresse à l'Assemblée nationale, pour l'abolition de la traite des Noirs, février 1790]
* [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k44847m/f2.table Société des Amis des Noirs (France ). Adresse de la Société des Amis des Noirs, à l'Assemblée nationale, à toutes les villes, Paris, Mars 1791]
* [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k44850h Société des Amis des Noirs (France). La Société des Amis des Noirs à Arthur Dillon, député de la Martinique à l'Assemblée, mars, 1791]