Beautiful, wealthy and accomplished, the twice-times married socialite was renowned for her grace, gentility and her tasteful soirees. However, from , tarnish began to appear over the glittering veneer of her life. In April , a fire broke out at the LaLaurie residence Royal Street that shattered the illusion forever. Rescuers brought out the bodies of seven starved and tortured slaves from an attic above the kitchen.
Here are twelve insights into the actual history of the case. Slavery may have been legal in early nineteenth-century Louisiana. However, this did not mean that masters could do as they wished with their human property. To this end, legislation was put in place to protect slaves from overt cruelty.
While masters could chastise their slaves, the law set limits on this chastisement. It was these limits that Delphine LaLaurie contravened. The French Code Noir was one of the first laws to forbid excessive cruelty. When Louisiana passed into American hands in , the American Black Code reiterated the sentiment of the previous two laws. However, the law not removed abused slaves from their owners; it also stipulated that no slave could act as a witness against a free person.
But what made her overstep the limits of the law? American History People. The Code Noir, the French Law, legislating against excessive cruelty to slaves. Google Images.
