1795-Apr.-10
1795-Apr.-10: The Courrier de la France et des colonies reported on the widespread “contagion of liberty” following the French National Convention’s decree o…
HT-TCWI-2018-000233
1795-Apr.-10: The Courrier de la France et des colonies reported on the widespread “contagion of liberty” following the French National Convention’s decree of general emancipation. The Philadelphia-based paper noted that news of the decree was being carried by French privateers to every corner of the Caribbean. It described the panic among Spanish and British officials who feared that their own enslaved populations would demand the same rights. The report specifically mentioned the arrival of “emancipated sailors” who openly discussed the new laws in American taverns. This entry captures the role of the 1794 abolition decree in transforming the Caribbean into a unified revolutionary theater.
Source · HT-TCWI-2018-000233 · p. 233
Scott, The Common Wind, 233 / Bates: HT-TCWI-2018-000233