Abolition Day in Guadeloupe in 2024

Abolition Day in Guadeloupe in 2024
Iles des Saintes, French Guadeloupe. Image by Mirmoor , via Deposit Photos
  How long until Abolition Day?
Abolition Day
  Dates of Abolition Day in Guadeloupe
2025 Guadeloupe Tue, May 27 National Holiday
2024 Guadeloupe Mon, May 27 National Holiday
2023 Guadeloupe Sat, May 27 National Holiday
2022 Guadeloupe Fri, May 27 National Holiday
2021 Guadeloupe Thu, May 27 National Holiday
  Summary

Slavery was finally abolished in all French possessions on May 28th 1848

  Abolition Day in other countries
Abolition Day internationally
Related holidays

Abolition Day in Guadeloupe

Abolition Day is a public holiday in Guadeloupe observed on May 27th each year.

About Abolition Day

Like the other major European nations at the time, France was keen to expand its reach into the new world. It established colonies on the American mainland but also took control of several islands in the Caribbean.

These new settlements needed a plentiful supply of workers to drive labour-intensive activities with high mortality rates such as sugar cane plantations, with the French turning to slaves from Africa. By 1778, the French were importing approximately 13,000 Africans for enslavement to the French West Indies.

Louis X of France had abolished slavery within the Kingdom of France way back in 1315, but that particular law never applied to the colonies despite an attempt to extend it to all parts of the Kingdom in the 16th century.

Slavery was abolished by the French Republic in February 1794, but Napoleon revoked that decree in 1802.

On April 27th 1848, under the Second Republic, the decree-law of Schœlcher abolished slavery in all French colonies with a general and unconditional emancipation. The state bought the slaves from the colonists and then freed them.

The countries that observe the abolition of slavery may do so at different dates as the enforcement of the abolition took its time to reach different colonies.


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