A testament to the ideological underpinnings of emancipation is consecrated in the east of France, where the Abolition Trail connects four key sites that helped pave the way towards freedom for Africans held in bondage in the French colonies. While France is widely heralded in the West as a beacon of democracy, given its history as the first European country to reject its kings, the practice of slavery is generally excluded from the narrative. At these sites, the history of slavery in France, and its most ardent detractors, is preserved, a fossil record of the fact that despite the prevalence of the practice, there were contemporary critics who could see clearly how perverse and inhumane it was.

Abbé Grégoire’s House in Emberménil

A pen pal of Toussaint Louverture’s who was so supportive and influential of revolutionary efforts that when a Haitian delegation alighted in France to secure its freedom in 1825 (after Louverture’s death), there was an attempt to ban the two parties from meeting, Abbé Grégoire was an instrumental figure in pushing for the abolition of slavery in revolutionary France. He was at one time president of the Society of the Friends of the Blacks and advocated for Black people to have the ability to vote. His writings on Black literature helped illustrate to others that Black people were equal to whites in intelligence and culture. His house has been preserved as a museum where visitors can learn about his life story and be exposed to some of his writings.

Schoelcher in Fessenheim

Son of a noted porcelain maker, Victor Schoelcher first developed his oppositional stance to slavery when he was sent to the United States, Cuba and Mexico by his father on an extended business trip. After his father’s death, Schoelcher sold the business and used the money to travel to the West Indies, Senegal and Gambia to study the institution of slavery, after which he would begin advocating fiercely for its abolition. He was a member of the French Society for the Abolition of Slavery and helped draft the decree that would end slavery in all of France’s colonies in 1848.

Toussaint Louverture’s resting place at Fort de Joux

Betrayed by an invitation to parlay with French officials and facing his own arrest, Toussaint Louverture laid out the following edict, “In overthrowing me, you have cut down in Saint Domingue only the trunk of the tree of liberty; it will spring up again from the roots, for they are numerous and they are deep.” This prophetic pronouncement proved true, as liberation took hold in the wake of his death. Today, Black travelers from around the world embark on pilgrimages to this site where the great revolutionary was imprisoned and now lays at rest.

Anne-Marie Javouhey’s house in Chamblanc

The young nun was only 21 years old when she reported having a vision of Teresa of Avila placing children of different races under her care. It wouldn’t be until almost 30 years later, in 1828, that Javouhey had the chance to undertake a liberatory mission: educating and equipping with skills more than 400 enslaved Black people in Mana, Guyana, in what would be considered a blueprint for emancipation when they gained their freedom a full 20 years before the rest of those enslaved in the empire.

This story was originally published July 22, 2022 9:00 AM.