7.1 Introduction
In the past chapters, we have traced the waxing and waning of the freedom principle in England, France and the Low Countries. We discussed its origins in the late Middle Ages and then looked at its development over two phases: first, when the respective countries were not (or to a very limited extent) involved in the Atlantic slave trade themselves (1500–1650), and the black presence in Western Europe was consequently very small.
Second, we discussed how the principle evolved when these countries were heavily implicated in the Atlantic slave trade, and had extensive American possessions, which led to an increase in the black community in each of the countries involved. This chapter compares the different experiences. Using a comparative law approach, we will ask the following question: what are the main similarities and differences with respect to the origins and development of the freedom principle in the jurisdictions discussed?