1790-Oct. – 1791-Aug.: French authorities in Saint-Domingue apprehended approximately 500 people who had escaped slavery in the vicinity of Cap Français during a t

1790-Oct. – 1791-Aug.: French authorities in Saint-Domingue apprehended approximately 500 people who had escaped slavery in the vicinity of Cap Français during a ten-month period. Arrest records suggested that fugitives who reached the city proper were significantly more successful at eluding capture than those roaming the countryside. The high density and mobility of the urban population provided a level of cover that frustrated colonial policing efforts. This concentration of dissidents in the capital created a volatile political environment on the eve of the massive 1791 insurrection.