Latest / The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering — Fexingo History
The Free Black Colonists of Louisiana
Before the Civil War, a unique community of gens de couleur libres thrived in New Orleans, navigating a complex legal landscape that granted them rights denied to enslaved people but fell short of full equality. This episode explores how figures like Pierre Destréhan and Marie Louise Thibodaux built a society of landowning, educated free blacks who served as intermediaries between French colonial power and the growing institution of slavery. We examine the impact of the Code Noir, the strategic marriages that cemented their status, and the tensions that arose when American expansion…
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