A sketch of a negro code : Edmund Burke and the regulation of slavery.

Abstract

This paper analyses Edmund Burke’s view of slavery, focusing in particular on his Sketch of a Negro Code and its legal background. Two forces in tension will be identified: the first one takes imperial economic necessities seriously, within a concept of a legal order based on an “organic” premise; the second one leads to a view of moral equality between human beings that does not exclude black people.

Keywords:

Edmund burke Slavery Negro code

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