Military pressure forced the colored rebels to release Laveaux

Evidence

The combined threat of Pierre Michel’s nearby troops and the imminent arrival of Louverture sowed fear among the rebels in Le Cap. On March 22 they released Laveaux and Perroud, and Villatte fled. Six days later Louverture marched into Le Cap at the head of a large troop. He found that many townspeople remained wary of Laveaux because of a rumor circulating that two recently arrived ships had brought to Le Cap hundreds of chains that were to be used to reenslave the population. — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 695

Categorization

• SEED: The persistent rumor of ships full of chains could anchor an essay on how post-emancipation societies live in terror of re-enslavement.
• XREF: Anticipates the theme of France’s turn against emancipation that shadows Louverture’s whole career.