1766: The establishment of the Free Port system in the British West Indies represented a significant shift in imperial commercial policy.

1766: The establishment of the Free Port system in the British West Indies represented a significant shift in imperial commercial policy. This act authorized specific ports to conduct trade with foreign colonies, including the Spanish and French territories, to circumvent traditional mercantilist restrictions. This policy unintentionally facilitated greater contact and communication between sailors of different nations and ethnicities. The resulting “authorized intercourse” provided a legal cover for the exchange of both goods and radical political ideas. It played a crucial role in creating the porous maritime borders that the “common wind” of revolution would later exploit.