1796-Mar.-15: Governor Chacon of Trinidad reported to the Spanish crown that the island was being overwhelmed by “colored crews of republican corsairs” from …

1796-Mar.-15: Governor Chacon of Trinidad reported to the Spanish crown that the island was being overwhelmed by “colored crews of republican corsairs” from the French islands. He noted that these newly freed black and mulatto sailors were openly discussing the principles of equality with the enslaved of Trinidad. The Governor observed that the presence of these “masterless men” on the coast had a “perverting” effect on the local labor force, leading to increased marronage and defiance. This report illustrates the role of privateering as a vehicle for the “common wind” of revolutionary ideas. The situation in Trinidad was representative of the broader security challenges facing the Spanish empire in the 1790s.