1795 Pointe Coupee Conspiracy

The 1795 Pointe Coupee Conspiracy

INTRO

The nature of this archival document, The 1795 Pointe Coupee Slave Conspiracy, exposes an unjust methodology used to obtain information from the slaves involved.

Evidence:

  1. The document states that slaves were forced to sign their names or make their mark, yet often their names were signed for them by white men.
  2. Hearsay testimony was treated as actual evidence by the court. Contradictions between testimonies were overlooked in favor of those testimonies that advanced the narrative the court was searching for.
  3. White authorities interrogated witnesses, both free and enslaved multiple times throughout the investigation.
This way of obtaining information was a means of suppressing the voice of slaves and is an act of violence. The testimonies used in this slave conspiracy have been interpreted by our group, The Ragin’ Cajuns, as a means of legitimizing the institution of slavery. This use of the law to punish those involved in the conspiracy also aids in giving legitimacy to a legal system that endorsed slavery.

Our project seeks to break out of the confines of the court document. Please follow links where they appear to learn more about this conspiracy and why we have come to doubt the conclusions of the court. The links are hidden throughout the following poem, just as the exact story of what truly happened in 1795 has been hidden from historians. They may be found by moving the mouse over the words.

                                                                         


                                                      historical context
 

                             POEM