Historian Jeremy D. Popkin: Debates on slavery began decades before the French Revolution (lemonde.fr)

• Slavery debates in France started in the 1760s.
• Colonies played a key role in Enlightenment and Revolution.
• Abolitionism influenced leading revolutionaries like Brissot and Condorcet.

"American historian Jeremy D. Popkin traces the legal and intellectual history of abolitionism in France, showing how the question of slavery influenced many leading figures of the revolutionary movement. The debates started in the 1760s, long before 1789, and shaped Enlightenment ideals of liberty and equality. Popkin highlights the colonial context as central to French revolutionary thought."