Question

What do you know about the slavery in France?

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Answer 1

In the mid 16th century, slaves were brought from Africa to the Caribbean by European mercantilists. Originally, white European indentured servants worked alongside African slaves in the New World. [2] At this time, there were not widespread theories of race or racism that would cause different treatment for white and African slaves. Francois Bernier, who is considered to have presented the first modern concept of race, published his work “A New Division of the Earth according to the Different Species or Races of Men Who Inhabit It” in 1684, over 100 years after slaves were brought to the New World.[3] While this was published in the late 17th century, race theory was not largely popularized among merchants or colonizers until the 19th century.[3] Racism ultimately dismantled the working integration of white and African slaves.