1790-May: The Spanish Crown abruptly reversed a century-old practice by ordering colonial governors to no longer protect foreign fugitives.

1790-May: The Spanish Crown abruptly reversed a century-old practice by ordering colonial governors to no longer protect foreign fugitives. This decisive shift was influenced by intense diplomatic pressure from other European powers and the looming threat of war with Britain. Furthermore, the Spanish government aimed to guard its colonies against the dangerous spread of French revolutionary ideas. By mid-summer, officials in Trinidad announced that incoming fugitives would be arrested and sold abroad rather than granted asylum. This policy change prefigured the growing concern regarding mobile “strangers of color” as the Haitian Revolution developed.