1791-Nov.: Philip, a Cuba-born “Spanish negro” who had migrated to Jamaica in 1788, was arrested in Montego Bay after attempting to purchase gunpowder.

1791-Nov.: Philip, a Cuba-born “Spanish negro” who had migrated to Jamaica in 1788, was arrested in Montego Bay after attempting to purchase gunpowder. His profile as a mobile, multilingual sailor made him a primary target for the colonial surveillance apparatus during this period of intense political unrest. Having been “generally employed in the Coast Trade,” Philip possessed the extensive connections and regional experience that the white rulers categorized as “designing” and “dangerous”. His arrest underscored the state’s determination to dismantle the networks of masterless people of color who facilitated resistance. Philip’s life exemplifies the cross-cultural adjustments and clandestine mobility that defined the “common wind” of the revolutionary Caribbean.