ABSTRACT
The first of two chronological chapters, this chapter investigates how the colonial government of Jamaica and the federal government of the United States attempted to control these non-white, semi-autonomous communities once peace had been negotiated. Taking 1739 as the starting point in the Maroon case, and 1789 in the Creek case, it compares the methods both governments used in the initial years. The central argument is that neither Jamaica nor the United States was in a position to overtly try to force these communities into submission. Jamaica was still under-developed and had just invested significant amounts in quelling the First Maroon War. Likewise, the United States was a young nation which was concerned with trying to unite itself in the face of other European empires. As such, both governments resorted to more subtle methods to undermine the freedom of the Maroons and Creeks—from expecting submission to the Governor of Jamaica, to signing trade agreements and exchanging gifts, this was a time of negotiation rather than force.
