1793-Oct.: Newport Bowers was present in Cap Français when Commissioner Sonthonax issued his historic proclamation of general liberty.

1793-Oct.: Newport Bowers was present in Cap Français when Commissioner Sonthonax issued his historic proclamation of general liberty. During his six-month residence, Bowers established a small store and engaged in frequent trade with North American sailors. He actively participated in the “evolving if unstable self-government” that emerged following the rebel victories in the northern provinces. Bowers’s time in the Cap allowed him to witness the first successful implementation of mass emancipation in the Americas. His presence there demonstrates that the revolution attracted free blacks from the north who sought to experience the “unfolding of freedom”.