1768: French authorities in Martinique identified and punished several slaves for giving voice to a powerful liberation rumor that energized the local black …

1768: French authorities in Martinique identified and punished several slaves for giving voice to a powerful liberation rumor that energized the local black community. The spreading news claimed that a powerful African king had arrived and purchased all the slaves on the island from the colonial government. Listeners were told they could soon expect to board vessels to return to their ancestral lands in Africa. To suppress the story, officials placed the identified bearers of these tidings in irons for public punishment. The captives suffered thirty-nine lashes for three successive days as a warning against the manipulation of public opinion.