Cedula of Population
Encyclopedia
The Cedula of Population was a 1783 edict by the King of Spain,
José de Gálvez
, opening Trinidad
to immigration from, primarily, the French Caribbean islands. Negotiated by Phillipe Rose Roume de Saint-Laurant, a key figure in Trinidad's colonial history, the edict consists of 28 articles governing several forms of land grants to encourage population growth, naturalization of inhabitants, taxation, armament of slave owners, the duty and function of a militia to protect the island, and merchant and trade issues.
The edict invited persons of either sex and of the Roman Catholic faith who would swear loyalty to the Spanish Crown to receive land allotments in sizes depending on their race and heritage. Specifically, it granted 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) of land to each Roman Catholic who settled in Trinidad and half as much for each slave that they brought. 16 acres (65,000 m²) was offered to each free person of color
, or gens de couleur libre
, as they were later known, and half as much for each slave they brought.
The effect of the cedula
was immediate, as what had once been a small colony of 1000 in 1773 had boomed to 18,627 inhabitants by 1797.
Upon the capture of Trinidad by the British in 1797, the Cedula of Population became a paramount document that established the legal status of the free coloreds in Trinidad in the declaration of capitulation. In particular, it protected their "liberty, persons and property like other inhabitants."
José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez
José de Gálvez y Gallardo, marqués de Sonora was a Spanish lawyer, a colonial official in New Spain and ultimately Minister of the Indies . He was one of the prime figures behind the Bourbon Reforms...
, opening Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
to immigration from, primarily, the French Caribbean islands. Negotiated by Phillipe Rose Roume de Saint-Laurant, a key figure in Trinidad's colonial history, the edict consists of 28 articles governing several forms of land grants to encourage population growth, naturalization of inhabitants, taxation, armament of slave owners, the duty and function of a militia to protect the island, and merchant and trade issues.
The edict invited persons of either sex and of the Roman Catholic faith who would swear loyalty to the Spanish Crown to receive land allotments in sizes depending on their race and heritage. Specifically, it granted 32 acres (129,499.5 m²) of land to each Roman Catholic who settled in Trinidad and half as much for each slave that they brought. 16 acres (65,000 m²) was offered to each free person of color
Free people of color
A free person of color in the context of the history of slavery in the Americas, is a person of full or partial African descent who was not enslaved...
, or gens de couleur libre
Gens de couleur
Gens de couleur is a French term meaning "people of color." The term was commonly used in France's West Indian colonies prior to the abolition of slavery, where it was a short form of gens de couleur libres ....
, as they were later known, and half as much for each slave they brought.
The effect of the cedula
Cédula de identidad
A Cédula de Identidad also known as cédula de ciudadanía or Documento de identidad is a national identity document used in many countries in Central and South America...
was immediate, as what had once been a small colony of 1000 in 1773 had boomed to 18,627 inhabitants by 1797.
Upon the capture of Trinidad by the British in 1797, the Cedula of Population became a paramount document that established the legal status of the free coloreds in Trinidad in the declaration of capitulation. In particular, it protected their "liberty, persons and property like other inhabitants."