The term
free people of color (French:
gens de couleur libres), in the context of the history of
slavery in the Americas, at first specifically referred to persons of mixed
African and
European descent who were not enslaved. The term was especially used in the French colonies, including
La Louisiane and settlements on
Caribbean islands, such as
Saint-Domingue,
Guadeloupe, and
Martinique. Freed African slaves were included in the term
affranchis, but historically they were considered as distinct from the free people of color. In these territories and major cities, particularly
New Orleans, and those cities held by the Spanish, a substantial third class of primarily
mixed-race, free people developed. These colonial societies classified mixed-race people in a variety of ways, generally related to visible features and to the proportion of African ancestry. Racial classifications were numerous in Latin America.