1794-Feb.: Havana Governor Luis de las Casas observed that the war against the French was primarily a struggle for “hearts and minds”. He warned that the tru…

1794-Feb.: Havana Governor Luis de las Casas observed that the war against the French was primarily a struggle for “hearts and minds”. He warned that the true danger lay in the “words” and “contagion” of sedition used by republican agents. This recognition admitted that the ideological power of the revolution posed a more significant threat to Spanish rule than traditional naval or land forces. The governor’s comments reflected the pervasive anxiety of colonial rulers regarding the uncontrollable mobility of radical ideas among the unfree. This perspective underscored the role of the Atlantic world as a unified space of intellectual and political struggle.