1791-Nov.: John Whittaker, a plantation owner in a remote part of Jamaica, discovered that his enslaved workers were receiving news of coastal developments f…

1791-Nov.: John Whittaker, a plantation owner in a remote part of Jamaica, discovered that his enslaved workers were receiving news of coastal developments faster than he was. After a worker informed him of an incident in Montego Bay before his own messenger arrived on horseback, Whittaker remarked on an “unknown mode of conveying intelligence amongst Negroes.” This “grapevine” successfully bypassed the isolation of the estate, which had no public roads and was under constant supervision. The incident highlighted the effectiveness of clandestine communication networks in spreading news across the Jamaican landscape.