The reparations argument for slavery first emerged in 1798 in revolutionary Saint-Domingue

Evidence

Indeed, Laveaux suggested, laying out perhaps for the first time the argument for reparations for slavery, the plantation workers might well say: “Now that the laws have given us back to ourselves, now that, following the example of the French of Europe, we have conquered our liberty, we demand payment for all the time we worked for you, and damages for all the bad treatment we suffered.” — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 743

Categorization

• SEED: The origin story of the reparations argument — a historical anchor for modern reparations debates, tracing the claim to an 1798 colonial official’s speech.
• QUESTION: Was Laveaux truly first, or did earlier African or Caribbean thinkers make the case earlier? Worth verifying.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 743
• XREF: connects to: Without slave revolt, the French Revolution would not have abolished slavery

Broader Connections

• Without slave revolt, the French Revolution would not have abolished slavery #complicates (0.45)