Napoleon actually sent Leclerc a secret memo to essentially reinstate slavery when the time was right. reinstate slavery when right

When the French come back, they essentially are able to reinstate control over the South.

Leclerc is kind of making it look like he's not trying to reinstate slavery, he's not trying to take citizenship away from people of African descent.

So in the back of his mind, he also wanted to reinstate slavery. and you'll see that he does it explicitly later on. so doesn't like slave freedom

But the intention the entire time was, when they have the upper hand, to actually clamp down, reinstate slavery, and take away the civil rights of the freemen of color.