1793-Jul.-21: John Randolph provided a deposition in Virginia regarding the activities of French-speaking blacks who had recently arrived in the colony.

1793-Jul.-21: John Randolph provided a deposition in Virginia regarding the activities of French-speaking blacks who had recently arrived in the colony. He testified that these individuals were seen interacting with local slaves and sharing details about the successful insurrection in Saint-Domingue. Randolph warned that the “spirit of revolt” was being openly discussed in the streets of Virginia’s port towns. His testimony was used to justify the arrest and interrogation of several suspected “emissaries” of the revolution. This document served as early evidence of a coordinated effort by slaveholders to dismantle Afro-Atlantic communication networks.