The Connections Between Grenada and Trinidad in the Age of Fedon, 1783–1797

Abstract

Abstract:Grenada's Fedon Rebellion of 1795 is little studied. Despite the lack of scholarship, this large, republican-inspired, mixed race, and enslaved rebellion against the British generated evidence that is extensive and illuminating, especially the links that the Fedon conflict made between Grenada and its near neighbour Trinidad just before and during the rebellion. This is fortunate, as the sources in Trinidad of the last years of the Spanish government, 1783–1797, are thin. Using the material from Grenada, as well as a fresh look at key pieces of Trinidadian evidence, the connections between the two colonies at a critical juncture in history are explored. It highlights the often-clandestine way information and people of all races moved across porous political boundaries during the Age of Revolutions and underscores the difficulties authorities had in navigating this liminal space, which for others presented opportunity. While, ultimately, the French revolutionary moment in the Windward Islands would be scuppered and the outrage of slavery reimposed, it would leave its mark on the histories and character of both these islands.