Effective abolition was enacted with the Decree abolishing Slavery of 27 April 1848 [fr].
The Mackau laws constituted the last wave of legislation to enhance the status of slaves in France before outright abolition.
In July 1846, Louis Philippe I abolished slavery in the Royal domains of Martinique, Guadeloupe, and the newly purchased Mayotte.
Previous dispositions had been implemented with various degrees of good faith in the colonies, a point of recrimination for abolitionists.
For instance, the mayors of towns where new schools were opened instituted a student selection procedures obviously intended to exclude slaves.