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Events on Thursday 20 May 1802 1
1802France reinstates slavery in its coloniesNapoleon Bonaparte reverses the 1794 abolition decreeOn 20 May 1802 the French government under Napoleon Bonaparte restored slavery in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and French Guiana, reversing the abolition decreed during the Revolution. The decision provoked fierce resistance in the Caribbean, most notably feeding the Haitian Revolution. Slavery remained in force in the French colonies for decades afterward.