Against racial equality

François-Joseph de Pons (1751-1812?); Louis Potier de Lille (1750?-1794) [ed.].

Question des hommes de couleur, libres, ajournée à mercredi prochain 11 mai 1791.

[Paris]. Imprimerie de L. Potier de Lille, [1791].

8°. 7, [1 blank] pp.

Later marbled paper boards, red title label on spine.

Very rare first and only edition of an opinionated pamphlet by François-Joseph de Pons, who was born in Saint-Domingue and served as an unofficial representative of the French government in Caracas. He offers valuable insights into the attitudes of white colonists towards free people of colour in the late 18th century. In this piece, he provides a clear explanation for the white colonists' opposition to granting political rights to free men of colour. De Pons argues that this opposition fuelled the initial unrest on the island because free people of colour were perceived as buffers between black slaves and white landowners. In his own words: "The significant gap perceived by slaves between themselves and whites discourages any notion of rebellion... This gap is exemplified by free individuals. They form an intermediate class that neither shares the functions of slavery nor enjoys all the privileges of the upper class."

Condition: in good condition.

Literature: Sabin 64000.