1790-Feb.-13: Benjamin Bailey, a merchant in the Caribbean, wrote to Christopher Champlin in Rhode Island describing the chaotic state of trade following the…

1790-Feb.-13: Benjamin Bailey, a merchant in the Caribbean, wrote to Christopher Champlin in Rhode Island describing the chaotic state of trade following the initial revolutionary disturbances. He noted that the political instability in the French islands was making it increasingly difficult to secure stable markets for American produce. Bailey observed that the “spirit of innovation” was affecting not only the white population but also the laborers on the docks and plantations. He warned that the traditional commercial order was being undermined by the rapid spread of radical political ideas. This letter captured the early commercial anxieties sparked by the French Revolution.