1793-Apr.-03: Following the confirmation of war between Britain and France, the Governor of Jamaica issued a proclamation severely restricting the freedom of…

1793-Apr.-03: Following the confirmation of war between Britain and France, the Governor of Jamaica issued a proclamation severely restricting the freedom of movement of all foreigners. The new regulations required non-residents to carry a “special license” for any travel extending beyond a five-mile radius of Kingston. This measure was designed to isolate the island from “interlopers” and republican agents suspected of fomenting trouble among the enslaved population. The state also increased its surveillance of French prisoners of war, some of whom openly brandished national cockades and sang revolutionary songs in the streets. This policy represented a strategic attempt to harden the borders of the British colony against the “cauldron of insurrection” that the Caribbean had become.