Exploring The Code Noir: Laws & Culture in French Louisiana

1. The Code Noir French Louisiana Culture

2. The Code Noir • 1685 (set of laws) to regulate the growing number of slaves in the colony. • Code Noir means the black code.

3. Code Noir and Marriage • Forbid interracial marriages. • French and slaves could still marry Indians. • Forbid slaves & French from living together as couples • Often ignored because few French women living in the colony. • Any children born to interracial couples would be slaves.

4. Code Noir and Freedom • Sometimes slave owners would want to free their slave wife and children. • This required a lot of trouble and expense. • Slaves that were freed & had French blood were called, les gens de couleur libres.

5. Code Noir and Cruelty • Slaves could not: be educated, gather in public in large numbers & they could not carry weapons. • Punishment was cruel and severe. • Runaways could be branded or have their ears cut off. • Any slave who hit his owner or ran away 3 times was executed. • Slaves were at the mercy of their owners. • Owners were not punished for cruelty or murder.

6. Code Noir and Slave Rights • Code Noir was one of the few slave codes that gave slaves some rights. • Slaves were recognized as humans & were allowed to marry other slaves. • A child under 14 could not be separated from his mother. • Slaves did not work on Sundays or religious holidays. • Slave owners had to provide: food, shelter, clothing, & medical attention. • If a slave became old or sick, the owner still had to care for him.

7. Code Noir and Freed Slaves • Code Noir said that freed slaves had the same rights as the whites. • Freed slaves could own property, have slaves, & serve in the government or military. • Free people of color were wealthy and influential.

8. Code Noir and Religion • Everyone had to be Christian. • No other religious practices were allowed in the colony • All slaves had to be baptized. • Jews were not allowed in the colony.

9. Slave Culture • Many African traditions still exist in Louisiana today. • Example is Gumbo. • Name from the African word for okra “guingombo.” • Example is Voodoo. • Catholic & African traditions blended together • Believe in God but also in other sprits • Magic chants, spells, potions, and charms to ward off evil. • Dark side of voodoo is called hoodoo (to harm people)

10. Slave Culture Gumbo Voodoo