French Parliament Votes to Repeal Slavery-Era Black Code

Source: PBS News HourFor nearly two centuries after France abolished slavery, the colonial-era law that classified humans as property has remained quietly on the books. On Thursday, the lower house of parliament voted 254-0 to adopt a bill repealing Code Noir, or Black Code—the 1685 decree King Louis XIV signed to govern slaves across France's colonies. The law turned human beings into "movable property," allowing them to be worked, beaten, sold, raped, and murdered.