1791-Nov.: Spanish court ministers responded to the initial news of the Saint-Domingue rebellion by urging colonial authorities to maintain “perfect neutrali…

1791-Nov.: Spanish court ministers responded to the initial news of the Saint-Domingue rebellion by urging colonial authorities to maintain “perfect neutrality” in the conflict. This attempt to insulate the Spanish empire from French revolutionary upheaval ignored the deep regional interactions that defined Caribbean life. Despite this official stance, the “contagion” of republican ideas proved impossible to contain within the artificial borders of empire. Spanish officials soon shifted to more repressive measures, such as refusing settlement to French colonists and banning revolutionary literature. This policy reflected the crown’s desperate effort to preserve the status quo against the rising tide of black liberation.