The Code Noir: As a French Colony, Limited the Rights of Blacks and Slaves in Haiti

Why was it Created?

The Code Noir also known as the Black Codes governed the government of Saint Dominique in the late seventeenth Century and continued through the eighteenth Century. ¹ The Code Noir was issued by King Louis XIV in the year 1685. ¹ The Code Noir primarily dealt with all the Africans who were enslaved on Saint Dominique during the sugar trade. The number of slaves in Haiti was amongst the highest number of slaves exported to the Western world only behind Brazil. With the slave population outnumbering the colonists, the Code Noir made perfect sense to show the colonists' domination over the slaves. The Code Noir included the laws that were to be followed by the slaves and exerted the power of their slave masters. ¹ The Code Noir also gave the slaves a feeling of some self-worth and self respect. These two reasons are the main reasons why the Code Noir was created.

One of the main previsions in the Code Noir had to deal with the religious issues that slaves would have under French rule. Since the colonists were from France, they followed Christian religions such as Catholic, Roman and Apostolic.¹ The slaves were from Africa and followed native tribal religions or no religion at all. On account of this, some of the main provisions in the Noir Code had to deal with religion. Provision II states, "All slaves in our Islands will be baptized and instructed in the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman religion..." ¹ Provision III. states, "We forbid any public exercise of any religion other than the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman; we wish that the offenders be punished as rebels and disobedient to our orders." ¹ This part of the Code Noir helps to substantiate the point that the French wanted the slaves to assimilate into the French culture and the French way of doing things. If the slaves felt part of the French empire, they would work harder and the concept of revolt would be limited.