A documentary about a hidden story of Canadian history: The one of Angelique, a Black slave accused of burning Montreal | dG1fS3k5cnp5R29DVm8
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Who started the fire?
00:10One of the most important sources for the history of New France, for the 18th century,
00:15are the trials.
00:16That's when I came across the trial of this black, angelic slave.
00:20I saw the negress enter the house just before the fire.
00:23Others have said that she went up to the attic with a shovel.
00:26My God, burn the culprits to hell.
00:29Marie-Joseph said, angelic, we say that the fire is you.
00:33What did you do?
00:34Nothing.
00:35This is the criminal law of 1670.
00:38It is very, very clearly indicated that one can arrest and condemn someone
00:43on the basis of public rumour.
00:48You have to confess.
00:49Why do you want me to lie?
00:51Because it's the law.
00:53We wanted a culprit at all costs.
00:56Do you think it's fate that God chose for you?
01:01To say that slavery existed in New France,
01:04it's not obvious because people will tell me, well, let's see.
01:07The question we ask ourselves today as historians is,
01:09when did we suffocate this story?
01:11When did we eat this passage from our prehistory?
01:14She was called Angelique, but she did not live the life of an angel.
01:18Comedians and historians unite to tell their story.