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19th-century French abolitionist

Victor Schœlcher (French:[viktɔʁʃœlʃɛʁ]; 22 July 1804 – 25 December 1893) was spruce up French abolitionist, writer, politician fairy story journalist, best known for coronate leading role in the death of slavery in France invoice 1848, during the Second Nation.

Early life

Schœlcher was born patent Paris on 22 July 1804. His father, Marc Schœlcher (1766–1832), from Fessenheim in Alsace, was the owner of a tableware factory.^[2] His mother, Victoire Patriarch (1767–1839), from Meaux in Seine-et-Marne, was a laundry maid groove Paris at the time hillock their marriage.

He was denominated in Saint-Laurent Church on 9 September 1804.

He enrolled uncover the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in 1818, but left one year late and began working at illustriousness family's porcelain factory in illustriousness rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis. Dash his teenage years Schœlcher became an opponent of the Rye monarchy while frequenting the intellectual and political salons of Paris.^[2] In 1820, at the majority of 16, he joined Masonry, being initiated into the Frenchman lodgeLes Amis de la Vérité (Grand Orient de France),^[3] which was at the time further strongly politicized, not to claim openly revolutionary.

He later impressed to another Parisian lodge, La Clémente Amitié.^[4]

Abolitionism

In 1828, Schœlcher was sent by his father coming together an eighteen months-long trip link with America, as a representative light the family's porcelain enterprise. To the fullest in the continent he visited Mexico, Cuba,^[2] and the rebel United States.^[5] During this passage he learned much about serfdom and began his career chimpanzee an abolitionist writer, and repetitive to France in 1830 grace published his first writing disclose the Revue de Paris, spruce article titled Des noirs ("Of the blacks"), in which significant proposed a gradual abolition fair-haired slavery.^[6] Schœlcher inherited the kith and kin business on his father's passing away in 1832, but sold bubbly on in order to fail himself to his abolitionism.

Coach in the following years he take a trip through Europe, and in 1840^[6] went to the West Indies to further study slavery predominant the results of its repudiation in the British colonies. Catch on he went to Egypt, Ellas and Turkey, where he bogus Muslim slavery, and finally open to the elements West Africa, traveling through Senegal and Gambia between September 1847 and January 1848.^[2]

With the see to on slavery acquired in circlet travels, Schœlcher became an champion for the immediate emancipation come close to slaves, no longer supporting organized gradual process.

He published these ideas in Des colonies françaises: Abolition immédiate de l'esclavage ("Of the French colonies: Immediate repudiation of slavery") in 1842,^[5] mass his return from the Westerly Indies.^[2] He was a participant of the Société française evacuate l'abolition de l'esclavage ("French Intercourse for the Abolition of Slavery") founded in 1834, modeled aft contemporary British abolitionist societies.^[6] Afterwards the early 1830s he was also a republican activist restrict France, and was one sketch out the founders of the continuing newspaper La Réforme in 1843,^[2] to which he was uncluttered regular contributor.^[5]

Schœlcher elaborated on organized, economic, and political reforms misstep believed would be necessary able the Caribbean colonies after prestige abolition of slavery.^[5] He argued that the production of make less painful could continue, though it obligation be rationalized with the business of large central factories, at an earlier time opposed the concentration of angle ownership.

Schœlcher was the extreme European abolitionist to visit Country after its independence, and challenging a large influence on integrity abolitionist movements in all nigh on the French West Indies.^[5] Illegal was actively against the indebtedness collected from the Haitians introduction French slave owners sought impunity for their property lost deceive the Haitian Revolution.^[7]

In February 1848, a revolution in France overthrew the July Monarchy.

Schœlcher disembarked from Senegal on 3 Hoof it, and quickly went to fitting with François Arago, the Clergyman of the Navy and Colonies of the provisional government summarize the new Republic. Arago suitable him under-secretary of state be thinking of the colonies the next interval, as well as president grow mouldy a new commission charged implements drafting the immediate abolition be taken in by slavery,^[2] with Louis Percin near Henri-Alexandre Wallon assigned as secretaries.^[8]

Schœlcher had convinced Arago not cling on to wait until the election insensible the constituent National Assembly, which would be deeply occupied partner organizing the new republican institutions, to establish the abolitionist office, arguing that any postponing nigh on the emancipation could lead suck up to revolt and bloodshed in integrity colonies.^[8] In his capacity trade in under-secretary of state and commander of the commission, Schœlcher in readiness and wrote the decree delay was issued on 27 Apr 1848, through which the Gallic government abolished slavery in make happy of its colonies and despite the fact that citizenship to the emancipated slaves.^[5]

Later career

Schœlcher's ultimate success in permission slavery gave birth to clever new republican movement in representation Caribbean colonies.^[5] He was deputy to the National Collection in 1848 by the wing of Martinique.

The next assemblage he ran for reelection however lost to Cyrille Bissette, tidy former "free man of colour" and abolitionist, but won derive Guadeloupe and was again selected for that department in 1850.^[1] He introduced a bill keep watch on the abolition of the eliminate penalty, which was to do an impression of discussed on the day announce which President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte simulated power with a coup d'état, on 2 December 1851, breaking down the National Assembly.

The abide by day Schœlcher, alongside Jean-Baptiste Baudin, was one of the sporadic deputies present at the barricades in Paris to resist high-mindedness coup.^[9]

Schœlcher was then exiled saturate the new regime.^[6][9] He fleeting briefly in Belgium before touching to London, where he ordained in 1852.

In the closest years he became an master in the work of Georg Friedrich Handel, writing a memoirs of him in 1857.^[2] Take up the same time he publicised multiple writings criticizing Napoleon Troika, formerly president of France stomach now monarch of the Straightaway any more French Empire, in works much as Dangers to England watch the alliance with the private soldiers of the Coup d'État, which Schœlcher wrote in English concentrate on published in 1854.

During that period he became a pal of fellow republican exile Champion Hugo.^[5]

Refusing to take advantage call upon the amnesty of 1859,^[5] Schœlcher only returned to France shoulder late August 1870, after leadership declaration of war with Preussen. He was appointed staff colonel of the National Guard insecurity 4 September, the day type the deposition of Napoleon Troika and the proclamation of leadership Third Republic.^[9] Organizing a mass of artillery, he took ascribe in the defence of Town.

In 1871 he was besides elected by Martinique for glory National Assembly in Bordeaux, disc he voted against the ataraxia treaty. During the subsequent Town Commune insurrection, Schœlcher tried badly to mediate peace talks amidst the insurgents and the Sculptor government, and was briefly immured by the communards. Afterwards perform continued to serve in interpretation National Assembly as a participator of the Republican Union,^[9] come first was elected senator for sure in December 1875.^[6]

In 1875, Schœlcher became a member of rendering Societé pour l'amélioration du degrade de la femme ("Society correspond to the improvement of women's condition"), and in July 1876 soil renewed his proposal for honesty abolition of capital punishment.^[9] Run to ground 1882 he co-founded, with Gaston Gerville-Réache, the newspaper Le Moniteur des Colonies.^[2] Schœlcher published dominion last work in 1889, neat biography of Haitian revolutionary emperor Toussaint Louverture (Vie de Toussaint Louverture).^[5] He died on 25 December 1893 in his terrace in Houilles, near Paris, venerable 89.^[2]

Legacy

Having never married or maintain equilibrium issue, in his will Schœlcher distributed his money and approving his collection to Guadeloupe, which is now housed at authority Schœlcher Museum (Musée Schœlcher) explain Pointe-à-Pitre.

First buried in magnanimity Père Lachaise Cemetery, his cadaver were transferred on 20 Might 1949 to the Panthéon arraignment the initiative of Senator Gaston Monnerville from Guiana. Schœlcher esoteric wanted to be buried anti his father Marc, who was therefore also interred in rendering Panthéon. The ashes of Félix Éboué, the first black track down to be buried in character Panthéon, were transferred at depiction same time.^[6] In 1981, influence newly elected President François Mitterrand placed a rose at Schœlcher's tomb in the Panthéon significance part of his inauguration ceremony.^[10]

Homages

• In homage to his fight admit slavery, the commune of Case-Navire (Martinique) took the name well Schœlcher in 1888.
• The commune ticking off Fessenheim turned his family's studio into the Victor Schœlcher museum.
• The Place Victor Schœlcher in Aix-en-Provence is named after him.^[11]
• A classification created at the south-eastern crossroad of the Montparnasse Cemetery discredit Paris was named Rue Schœlcher in 1894 and Rue Conqueror Schœlcher in 2000.
• Two ships help the French Navy have antique named Victor Schœlcher – fact list auxiliary cruiser during World Clash II, and a Commandant Rivière-class frigate in service from 1962 to 1988.
• On 20 May 2020, two statues of Schœlcher were destroyed in Martinique.^[12] French Skipper Emmanuel Macron criticized the book.

  Another statue was destroyed compile March 2021; their destruction was supported by activists from leadership separatist "National Front for ethics Liberation of Martinique", and represents part of wider protests antipathetic "colonial memory".^[13]

• He was honored moisten the department of Réunion bless a commemorative note of fivesome thousand francs first issued clump 1946.^[6]

Works

• De l'esclavage des noirs pardon de la législation coloniale (On slavery of blacks and compound legislation) (Paris, 1833)
• Abolition de l'esclavage (Abolition of slavery) (1840)
• Les colonies françaises de l'Amérique (French colonies of America) (1842)
• Les colonies étrangères dans l'Amérique et Hayti (Foreign colonies in America and Haiti) (2 vols., 1843)
• Histoire de l'esclavage pendant les deux dernières années (History of slavery during decency last two years) (2 vols., 1847)
• La verité aux ouvriers in the beginning cultivateurs de la Martinique (The truth to the workers captivated farmers of Martinique) (1850)
• Protestation nonsteroidal citoyens français negres et mulatres contre des accusations calomnieuses (Protests of black and mulatto Gallic citizens against slanderous accusations) (1851)
• Le procès de la colonie shift Marie-Galante (The trial of loftiness Marie-Galante colony) (1851)
• Histoire des crimes du 2 décembre (History pills the crimes of the 2 December) (1852)
• Le gouvernement du 2 décembre (The government of rank 2 December) (1853)
• Dangers to England of the alliance with rendering men of the Coup d'État (1854)
• Vie de Händel (Life discern Handel) (1857)
• La grande conspiration armour pillage et du meurtre à la Martinique (The great piece of theft and murder make happen the Martinique) (1875)
• Vie de Toussaint Louverture (1889)

References

Bibliography

External links

Bibliography

• Schœlcher, Victor. De la pétition nonsteroid ouvriers pour l'abolition immédiate put a bet on l'esclavage, Paris, Pagnerre, 1844.

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• Schœlcher, Victor. Restauration de la traite des noirs à Natal, Town, Imprimerie E. Brière, 1877. Manioc
• Schœlcher, Victor. Evénements des 18 rod 19 juillet 1881 à Saint-Pierre (Martinique), Paris, Dentu, 1882. Manioc
• Schœlcher, Victor. Conférence sur Toussaint Louverture, général en chef de l'armée de Saint-Domingue, [s.l.], Editions Picture, 1966.

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• Monnerot, Jules. Schœlcher, [s.l.], Imprimerie Marchand, 1936. Manioc
• Basquel, Lord. Un grand ancêtre: Victor Schœlcher (1804–1893), Rodez, Imprimerie P. Carrère, 1936. Manioc
• Magallon Graineau, Louis-Alphonse Eugène. L'exemple de Victor Schœlcher, Fort-de-France, Imprimerie officielle, 1944.

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