1789-Nov.-26: The Provincial Assembly of the North in Saint-Domingue met to discuss the growing threat posed by the spread of revolutionary ideas among the e…

1789-Nov.-26: The Provincial Assembly of the North in Saint-Domingue met to discuss the growing threat posed by the spread of revolutionary ideas among the enslaved and free colored populations. Members expressed extreme concern about the “seditious” nature of printed materials arriving from France and the role of sailors in disseminating revolutionary slogans. The Assembly ordered increased surveillance of the Cap Français waterfront and the interrogation of “suspicious” individuals arriving from the metropole. They recognized that the Port was the primary entry point for the “contagion” of liberty that threatened the colonial social order. This session marked an early effort by the planter elite to counter-revolutionize the colony.