Samuel de Missy
Encyclopedia
Samuel de Missy was a French trader and businessman, from the city of La Rochelle
, were he was born. He enriched himself by selling clothes to slaving expeditions, leaving to such islands as Saint-Domingue
, where La Rochelle armateurs owned plantations.
Although a participant and beneficiary to the slave trade, Samuel de Missy disputed the legitimacy of enslavement, and joined the "Société des amis des noirs" ("Society of the friends of the Blacks"). He was much attacked for his positions in his own city, and finally had to recant his abolitionist stance, for fear of damaging the economy of the city.
He became a representative at the Assemblée Nationale Constituante (Parliament, "National Constituent Assembly") in 1789.
The slave trade of La Rochelle would end with the event of the French Revolution and the war with England in the 1790s, the last La Rochelle slave ship, the Saint-Jacques being captured in 1793 in the Gulf of Guinea
. In February 1794, the National Assembly legislated the Universal Emancipation decree, which effectively freed all colonial slaves.
The Collège Samuel de Missy in La Rochelle is named after him.
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
, were he was born. He enriched himself by selling clothes to slaving expeditions, leaving to such islands as Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
, where La Rochelle armateurs owned plantations.
Although a participant and beneficiary to the slave trade, Samuel de Missy disputed the legitimacy of enslavement, and joined the "Société des amis des noirs" ("Society of the friends of the Blacks"). He was much attacked for his positions in his own city, and finally had to recant his abolitionist stance, for fear of damaging the economy of the city.
He became a representative at the Assemblée Nationale Constituante (Parliament, "National Constituent Assembly") in 1789.
The slave trade of La Rochelle would end with the event of the French Revolution and the war with England in the 1790s, the last La Rochelle slave ship, the Saint-Jacques being captured in 1793 in the Gulf of Guinea
Gulf of Guinea
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean between Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf....
. In February 1794, the National Assembly legislated the Universal Emancipation decree, which effectively freed all colonial slaves.
The Collège Samuel de Missy in La Rochelle is named after him.