1764: The newly founded Gazette de Saint Domingue printed its earliest runaway notices, revealing that enslaved people in the northern parishes preferred see…

1764: The newly founded Gazette de Saint Domingue printed its earliest runaway notices, revealing that enslaved people in the northern parishes preferred seeking refuge in Cap Français. Fugitives sensed a greater prospect of success within the urban environment and its environs than in the mountains or at the Spanish border. This trend underscores the role of the colonial capital as a primary magnet for those seeking personal independence. Urban centers offered unique opportunities for evasion that the more visible frontier spaces lacked.