Free person of color and revolutionary from Martinique, 1766 - 1802

Delgrès, Louis: Delgrès was a “free person of color.” He was not a slave, but was discriminated against as a non-white person. He participated in the military defense of Guadeloupe, Saint-Lucie and Saint Vincent, coveted by the British as of 1793. A fervent supporter of a democratic and social republic, he opposed the Consulate (1799). In 1802, he organized a rebellion in Guadeloupe against the troops sent by Bonaparte in order to reestablish slavery. Cornered, Delgrès and his companions committed suicide with an explosive.

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The Panthéon and its neighborhood

"To the Great Men, a Grateful Homeland"