1791-Jan.-06: The Kingston Daily Advertiser published reports on the growing frequency of desertions by the enslaved, which

1791-Jan.-06: The Kingston Daily Advertiser published reports on the growing frequency of desertions by the enslaved, which Julius S. Scott links to the heightening expectations of freedom in the Caribbean. Enslaved people were increasingly using small boats, or shallops, to flee from British islands to neighboring French or Spanish territories. The newspaper’s accounts reveal a sophisticated “grapevine” where news of the French Revolution’s decrees was shared among the “masterless” population in the ports. These desertions were part of a broader regional movement toward self-liberation. The mobility provided by the maritime environment was essential for these early efforts to challenge the slave system.