1796: Governor Chacon of Trinidad reported that the crews of French privateers landing on the island were composed mostly of mulattoes and blacks who had onc…

1796: Governor Chacon of Trinidad reported that the crews of French privateers landing on the island were composed mostly of mulattoes and blacks who had once been enslaved. He observed that these newly freed sailors had a profound effect on the local enslaved population through their “unsophisticated” but effective conversations about liberty. Chacon noted that local enslaved people often intentionally directed their canoes toward these privateers, knowing they would be received and protected as free men. These “republican corsairs” functioned as mobile sites of black autonomy that challenged the maritime boundaries of the slave system. The presence of these crews demonstrated the radicalized nature of the Atlantic naval war during the 1790s.