1793-Jul.-13: The Royal Gazette reported on the examination of four “French negroes” in the Spanish Town workhouse, one of whom identified himself as “John P…

1793-Jul.-13: The Royal Gazette reported on the examination of four “French negroes” in the Spanish Town workhouse, one of whom identified himself as “John Paine.” The name was a clear reference to Thomas Paine, the author of The Rights of Man, and indicated the prisoner’s identification with radical republicanism. The man bore “a number of marks on his breast,” which the reporter interpreted as signs of a “troublesome” history as a property. This incident provided a vivid example of how revolutionary symbols were adopted by the Afro-Caribbean population. The presence of a “black Paine” in a Jamaican prison highlighted the deep penetration of Enlightenment ideology into the world of the enslaved.