Mark your calendars. May 10 is French Slave Day!
Jack has made a little speech.
ALLOCUTION DE M. JACQUES CHIRAC, PRÉSIDENT DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE,
À L'OCCASION DE LA RÉCEPTION EN L'HONNEUR
DU COMITÉ POUR LA MÉMOIRE DE L'ESCLAVAGE
[A Brief Speech From Jack, President Of The Republic,
On The Occasion Of The Reception Honoring
The Committee For The Memory Of Slavery]
Palais de l'Elysée, Paris, Lundi 30 janvier 2006
Pave commends Jack for even mentioning a topic so loaded with French ignominy and so conspicuously absent from the national conscience. To his credit Jack calls for these shameful chapters of French history to be taught in the education system at all levels and that French museums present this same history and its artifacts to the public.
But just what history?
We consider France's most shameful offense her double abolition of slavery, in which a necessity disguised as a principle was tossed for an undisguised convenience followed again by an invocation of the original discarded principle. A principle coerced by Britain.
Jack gives an abridged and breezy version in his speech.
Ce fut l'honneur de la Première République, en 1794, d'abolir l'esclavage dans les colonies françaises. Rétabli par le Consulat en 1802, il fut définitivement aboli, par la Deuxième République, le 27 avril 1848, à l'initiative de Victor Schœlcher.[It was the honor of the First Republic, in 1794, to abolish slavery in the French colonies. Restored by the Consulate in 1802, it was definitively abolished, by the Second Republic, April 27, 1848, on the initiative of Victor Schœlcher.]
Jack packs the whole of the restitution of French slavery into a dependent clause. No explanation, no principles violated, just one of those things.
Il faut le dire, avec fierté : depuis l'origine, la République est incompatible avec l'esclavage. C'est dans cette tradition historique que s'est inscrite la représentation nationale, lorsqu'en 2001, elle a fait de la France le premier pays au monde à inscrire, dans la loi, la reconnaissance de l'esclavage comme crime contre l'humanité.[It should be said, with pride: from the beginning, the Republic is incompatible with slavery. It is in this historical tradition that the national assembly legislated, when in 2001, it made France the first country in the world to register, in law, the recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity.]
Pride? Origin? Incompatible? We think Jack can do better than these political pieties. If the French are to be reacquainted with their slave history, then let them have it straight.
On April 4, 1792, the Legislative Assembly voted full citizenship to all free people of color in Saint-Domingue* (scil., the May Decree). It did so to shore up island loyalties during the Bwa Kayiman (scil., Bois Caïman) slave revolt. A three-member Second Civil Commission was charged with enforcing this law, reestablishing French control on the island, and returning the slaves to their plantations. The Commission's initial successes were upturned by France's declaring war on Britain on February 1, 1793.
On his commission, Léger-Félicité Sonthonax, an abolitionist, had pledged not to free the slaves. However faced with the imminent defeat of the Commission's forces by the renegade French forces of deposed governor General François Thomas Galbaud du Fort , M. Sonthonax gambled with Republican ideals to recruit a nearby 15,000-strong slave army. In exchange for freedom, this army threw in with the Commission, routing the Galbaud forces.
On August 23, 1793, M. Sonthonax decreed the soldiers' emancipation (~15,000 freedmen). Later, on the request of the soldiers, he enlarged the emancipation to include their families (~30,000-40,000 freedmen). On August 29, 1793, emancipation was unilaterally decreed throughout Saint-Domingue (500,000 freedmen). On February 4, 1794, an astonished French National Convention ratified the fait accompli by acclamation, applying it to all French colonies. However emancipation did not immediately improve French fortunes and M. Sonthonax was recalled to France on June 15, 1794 to face trial for abuse of office. He was exonerated.
M. Sonthonax notwithstanding, the Republic conceded emancipation for reasons of expediency, not high principle.
It is sufficient that France arrived at a good. Jack needn't ask us to believe she was led there by saints and morals.
* Formerly western Hispaniola, now Haiti.
PFFT (What is this?): Candor 2 | Rayonnement français 1
Bonjour,
Franchement votre article est inepte ,il ne mérite pas de commentaires.
Mais parlez-nous plutôt de vos échecs en Irak:votre général en chef Bush a parlé de "retraite" lors de son discours ?
Que nous reprochez-vous à la fin ?
Votre Roosevelt à Anfa (1943) a soulevé les musulmans contre nous.Vous nous avez reproché notre "colonialisme" constamment.Nous vous avons suivi et nous sommes devenus anticolonialistes.
Et maintenant vous hurlez parce que nous ne voulons pas vous suivre dans une opération coloniale..
Parce que franchement:
"nation building"=colonialisme
Le "nation building" c'est ce que nous avons fait au Maroc ,en Algérie sur 130 ans etc et c'est ce qui vous faisait hurler.
Maintenant sur les musulmans on vous avez mis en garde au Kosovo et idem ,vous vous êtes mis au service des islamo terroristes de l'UCK et maintenant vous vous retournez contre eux.
Vous avez BOMBARDE Belgrade , une capitale européenne pour les beaux yeux de terroristes musulmans !!!
Ah la chère bombing Albright !!Le cher Jammie Shea !
C'est pareil qu' en 1918 ,la France vous avez mis en garde contre les Allemands ,mais vous vous nous avez trahis après Versailles, d'où les horreurs nazies.
Vos dirigeants sont stupides que cela soit en 1918,1943 ,1990 ou 2005.
Vous êtes incapable de mener une politique étrangère INTELLIGENTE !!!
Très ennuyeux quand on prétend à une "destinée manifeste"….
Nous Français , nous allons compter les coups en Irak et assister à votre piteuse débâcle.
Ca nous rappellera Saigon 75…
Nihil novi sub sole…
Good luck for your country in Irak
PS:J'oubliais l'attitude infecte de votre commandant en chef Bush dans l'affaire des caricatures de Mahomet .On se demande si vous le faites exprès ou quoi ?
Franchement votre article est inepte ,il ne mérite pas de commentaires.
Posted by AntiBrits/Antiyankee at February 5, 2006 05:03 PM
M. AB/AY,
And yet you are provoked to comment. And at pointless length.
What do you expect readers to make of your opinions, when you yourself find them so useless?
DGB
What Damian said. The Seven Years war is over mister anti-anglosphere. Your side lost.
As for Bush and the prophet cartoons, well, he has taken a softer line. The whole thing seems whipped up by the Baathists in Syria anyway.
J'oubliais l'attitude infecte de votre commandant en chef Bush dans l'affaire des caricatures de Mahomet .On se demande si vous le faites exprès ou quoi ?
You didn’t link or list which comment you are talking about, but I presume, if I may, that it was: “We fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression, but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious hatred in this manner is not acceptable.”
Dog gone, I think I must agree with you…(on this point only- not that other rant you got going!!!!). Also, some of our press also agrees with you. Permit me to give some examples:
….the US has found it disappointingly hard to find a voice. This is despite the fact that Denmark has stood steadfastly with the US and is one of the few allies in Iraq that has been there from the beginning….The State Department’s immediate reaction was mealy-mouthed…..This is not the way to stand by a good ally under fire.
Unfortunately, the Bush administration bought the ruse, and now must make up for lost time. The initial equivocating at the White House and the State Department undermined the early European determination to confront the assault on Western civilization. Now, with platitudes about “press responsibility” and condolences to the Muslim community out of the way, Washington must play a more forceful role in bucking up the European governments bearing the brunt of the assault. An awakened Europe, after all, is exactly what the US has been waiting for – reinforcements in the war against the terrorists.
Sorry for no links (I wrote this from computer with no internet connection), both from Washington Times if you want to search for the full articles.
Now that the agreeing is out of the way, my little Chivista, since we are discussing free speech, did you see the latest from your “cocaine dictators”?
Not from Iran loving Venezuela, but from your other heart throb, Morales, in Bolivia.
Bolivia’s new government has proposed legislation tightening regulation on the press, prompting fears of censorship among government critics and journalists.
The government [Bolivia], meanwhile is expanding state-controlled press with aid from Venezuela. Read article here I guess they both want to be more like Cuba, no?
Ok, Chivista, you are for free speech in Europe with the cartoons, but, by default, by supporting Venezuela and Bolivia against free speech there?
Good luck...in Europe. Keep a fire bucket ready to extinguish your car, or favorite countries flag.
I received some good news this evening…my niece was selected to be the exchange student from her high school to go to France. This spring, a student from France will be staying here at her house. No details yet on the city or area in France.
She called me tonight to see if I would be interested in taking them around DC to show them the sights. I said “Sure, I’d love it”. Then she said, “OK. But one rule: YOU CAN’T TALK POLITICS!!!” It’s so nice to have a reputation!
So, can y’all get this muslim thing wrapped up before she goes over there? :) "Lafayette, my niece is here!"
Bonjour,
Vous défendez la liberté d'expression en Amérique latine , vous ,les USA ? Je suis mort de rire !
Après 100ans d' installation de dictatures fascistes ,voire nazies (colonie Dignidad etc).Il faudra que vous fassiez un peu plus la preuve que vous avez CHANGE !
Noam Chomsky a bien décrit votre façon d'agir:
1)On installe des dictatures fascistes
2)On efface tout et on dit qu'on A CHANGE
Quand vous laisserez "Tele Sur" émettre dans vos protectorats on en reparlera !
A bas CNN ! Vive Télé Sur !
Bonjour, Chivista!
Now it is you who makes me laugh!
Tele-Sur has a deal with Al Jazeera, a partnership, if you will.
Soon, Iran will have a deal with Venezuela.
Do you also support Iran? They are anti-American enough for you, no?
It is interesting to see just how far you will sacrifice your principles in order to maintain your anti-American stance.
CNN can go down as far as I am concerned. I’m sure you know which news I watch :)
Bonjour,
Vous avez depuis plus de 70 ans instrumentalisé l 'Islam en permanence contre nous.
(D'Anfa (1943) ,en passant par le Kosovo (1992),la Turquie (2006) etc etc ...
Je suis paticulièrement heureux que Chavez retourne cette manipulation contre vous.
"Quand on crache en l'air cela vous retombe dessus !"
(proverbe français).
Vous vous dites bien anti-islamistes et vos meilleurs copains sont ces déments de wahabites saoudiens.
(Toujours dans le but de nous déstabiliser nous l'Europe ,car vous savez très bien le mal que nous font ces déments de wahabites)
Alors où aurais-je un problème de logique ?
Chavez is our friend and YOUR problem !
Bonjour, Chavista
Vous avez depuis plus de 70 ans instrumentalisé l 'Islam en permanence
contre nous.
Of course, it is always the fault of the US. And France has done absolutely nothing in the last 70 years to anger the muslims? I think France has been doing quite a bit of spitting as well.
------
Le déclin de l'Empire américain est commencé et il n'y a que les américains
qui ne le savent pas ... (from the other thread)
Well, since you in France know more about declining Empires than the US, one may be inclined to believe you :).
On the other hand, our latest unemployment figures have dropped below 5%, while your economy continues to go nowhere. Our GNP figures remain high, again, while those of Western Europe fall.
You make the best point in the continuing power of the US: Chavaz is our problem. Correct, because sooner or later, every darn problem in the world becomes our problem because we are, whether you like it or not, still the most powerful. Look at the situation with Iran. The big E3, who chastises the US for not using diplomacy with Iraq, says: "watch, big bad US, how we will tame Iran with diplomacy." Well, how has that worked so far? So, Jack huffs and puffs and makes threats that he will use nuclear weapons, but we all know whose weapons will be used against Iran, don't we?
We in the US also have a proverb that goes like this:
"Be careful what you wish for, it may come true."
Europe is having a lot of problems with the muslims right now. Just think about those to come if the muslim states become more powerful than the US.....with the help of Chavez and his oil and France with her “support all who are against the US”.
