Four Communes

In 1848 the Second Republic extended the rights of full French citizenship to the inhabitants of Saint-Louis, Dakar, Gorée, and Rufisque.

Those few Africans from the four communes who were able to pursue higher education and were willing to renounce their legal protections could "rise" to become termed Évolués (Evolved) and were nominally granted full French citizenship.

On 30 December 1875 this seat was again abolished, but only for a few years as it was reinstated on 8 April 1879, and remained the single parliamentary representation from sub-Saharan Africa anywhere in a European legislature until the fall of the Third Republic in 1940.

It was only in 1916 that originaires were granted citizenship and explicit recognition of their full voting rights while maintaining legal protections.

[1] Blaise Diagne (1872-1934), who was the prime advocate behind the change, became in 1914 the first African deputy elected to the French National Assembly.