1788-Aug.-12: The Savanna-la-Mar Gazette in Jamaica began reporting on the increasing presence of “masterless” individuals in the port, reflecting a growing …

1788-Aug.-12: The Savanna-la-Mar Gazette in Jamaica began reporting on the increasing presence of “masterless” individuals in the port, reflecting a growing regional concern over mobile populations. Julius S. Scott identifies the town of Savanna-la-Mar as a significant site for the meeting of diverse maritime cultures, including sailors, higglers, and people who had escaped slavery. The newspaper reports from this period underscore the difficulty colonial officials faced in policing a population that lived outside the traditional plantation hierarchy. These “masterless” men and women utilized the local geography to create a vibrant underground economy and information network. Such port-side activities were the primary conduits for the “common wind” of revolutionary ideas.