British arming of slaves and Indians drove southerners to embrace independence

Evidence

Discussing the source of the fatigue, trouble, and danger, Penn wrote that seven British regiments were expected to invade the colony any day and that, from his refuge on an offshore warship, the royal governor, Joseph Martin, had “coaxed a number of Slaves” to turn against their patriot masters and fight with the British. Penn did not mention the loyalist uprising or rumors that Martin had sought support from native peoples on the frontier, but they animated local patriots as well. “These things have totally changed the temper and disposition of the Inhabitants that are Friends of liberty,” Penn observed. “They ask if it is possible that any Colony after what has passed can wish for a Reconciliation.” In short, he wrote, “Independence is the word most used.” — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 123

Categorization

• XREF: Directly serves course goal: the founders’ freedom rhetoric (‘Friends of liberty’) coexisted with slaveholding, and the fear of slave insurrection was a concrete causal driver of independence debate. — connects to: Intercepted royal letters revealing planned military reinforcements pushed Virginia toward independence — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 192; British emancipation offers drove white colonists, including slaveholders, toward independence — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 19; British postwar conduct in Boston drove Washington to embrace independence (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Fear of loyalist-slavery-invasion convergence pushed southern delegates toward independence #corroborates (0.95) — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 133
• Protecting slavery was a primary motive driving some colonists to declare independence #corroborates (0.90) — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 102
• Southern secession drove by fear of slave resistance, not abstract principle #corroborates (0.85) — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 569
• British attacks on the South converted moderates to independence by June 1776 #expands (0.75)
• Fear of slave uprisings helped drive Latin American independence #exemplifies (0.75) — Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities, 217