Editing Abolitionism (section)

===Abolition of slavery in Haiti (1804)===

The news of the [[Law of 4 February 1794]] that abolished slavery in France and its colonies and the revolution led by [[Louis Delgrès|Colonel Delgrès]] sparked another wave of rebellion in Saint-Domingue. From 1802 Napoleon sent more than 20,000 troops to the island, two-thirds died, mostly from yellow fever.

Seeing the failure of the [[Saint-Domingue expedition]], in 1803 Napoleon decided to [[Louisiana Purchase|sell]] the [[Louisiana Territory]] to the United States.

The French governments initially refused to recognize Haïti. It forced the nation to pay a [[Haitian independence debt|substantial amount of reparations]] (which it could ill afford) for losses during the revolution and did not recognize its government until 1825.

France was a signatory to the first [[multilateral treaty]] for the suppression of the slave trade, the [[Treaty for the Suppression of the African Slave Trade]] (1841), but the king, [[Louis Philippe I]], declined to ratify it.