Rum · History · Short entry
Emancipation in Martinique (22-23 May 1848)
France decreed the abolition of slavery on 27 April 1848, but in Martinique enslaved people rose at Saint-Pierre on 22 May and forced the governor to proclaim abolition on 23 May.
22-23 May 1848
After the arrest of Romain, an enslaved drummer, an uprising led to his release on 22 May; on 23 May governor Rostolan signed the abolition decree for Martinique.
Why it mattered
The Paris decree of 27 April 1848 was not due to take effect until later; the enslaved did not wait.
What happened
The government of the Second Republic signed the abolition decree on 27 April 1848, to be applied in the colonies later that year. In Saint-Pierre, Romain, an enslaved drummer on the Duchamp estate, was arrested on 21 May for drumming. He was released on the morning of 22 May by the deputy mayor Pierre-Marie Pory-Papy, against the mayor's wishes, as unrest spread. On 23 May, after a vote of the municipal council, governor Rostolan exceeded his powers and signed the abolition decree for Martinique.
How it connects
Region
- event-in Martinique
Story
- story A history of rum
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