Why did a slave revolt break out in Guadeloupe in 1802?

The slave revolt in Guadeloupe in 1802 was a direct response to the decision by the government of Napoleon I to reestablish slavery in the French colonies.1

Following the French Revolution, slavery had been abolished in Guadeloupe by the official Victor Hugues in 1794. However, when Napoleon’s administration moved to reinstate the institution in 1802, the enslaved population rose in rebellion to resist this return to bondage. The conflict reached a tragic conclusion at Matouba, where antislavery forces chose to blow themselves up rather than surrender to the French troops commanded by Gen. Antoine Richepanse.1