1717-Summer: The Governor of Jamaica reported that a recent experiment to import bonded convict laborers as indentured servants had backfired as the new arri…

1717-Summer: The Governor of Jamaica reported that a recent experiment to import bonded convict laborers as indentured servants had backfired as the new arrivals chose piracy over plantation labor. Instead of becoming an advantage to the colony, many of these “wicked” immigrants encouraged enslaved individuals to desert their masters and join renegade maritime crews. The failure of this program underscored the persistent difficulty colonial officials faced when attempting to control a restless and often desperate European workforce. This mobile demographic frequently joined the region’s growing “masterless” populations, disrupting the social order of the slave society.