Vol, sexe et race à Montréal au 18e siècle Le témoignage de Jean-Baptiste Thomas, Noir asservi

Abstract

Little is known about the daily experience of enslaved black people in Canada under the French Regime. Using the case of Jean-Baptiste Thomas and his trial for theft in Montreal in 1735, this article explores the complex relationships between enslaved and free people, and between the former and the colonial criminal justice system. During his trial, Thomas demonstrates his acute awareness of the dangers, limitations and racial implications of his slave status, while displaying resistance and agency in the face of the institution of slavery in the French colony.