Gens de Couleur Libres

Gens de Couleur Libres, meaning "Free People of Color," were individuals of mixed African, European, and sometimes Indigenous ancestry in 18th-19th century French colonies like Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). Unlike enslaved Africans, they were often free and could own property, run businesses, and sometimes hold positions of influence. However, they faced social restrictions and racial hierarchies that placed them below white colonists but above enslaved Africans. Their status created a complex social class that played a significant role in the Caribbean's history of resistance, revolution, and evolving race relations.