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

1717-Summer: The Governor of Jamaica reported that a recent experiment to transport bonded convict laborers as indentured servants had backfired as the new arrivals chose piracy over plantation labor. Many of these “wicked” immigrants encouraged enslaved individuals to desert their enslavers 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.