The colonial government in Haiti introduced apartheid-style legislation to maintain a rigid social hierarchy based on race and to preserve the power and privileges of the white ruling class. This legislation discriminated against free colored and black people, denying them access to education, economic opportunities, and political rights. By limiting the opportunities available to people of color, the government sought to prevent them from challenging the status quo and asserting their own rights and interests. This system of segregation and discrimination was designed to reinforce white supremacy and to ensure the continued subjugation of the black majority. It was a tool of oppression that served to reinforce the power of the colonial regime and to maintain the status quo of racial inequality and injustice.