Governor Dunmore’s 1775 proclamation offered enslaved Virginians freedom in exchange for service

Evidence

Feeling secure at Norfolk and hoping to turn the tide against those local patriots that he called “traitors,” Dunmore issued a proclamation on November 9 declaring martial law in Virginia and offering freedom to “all indentured servants, [enslaved] Negros, and others … that are able and willing to bear arms, they joining his Majesty’s troops.” The offer applied only to those indentured or enslaved to “rebels,” not to loyalists. Even so, by year’s end, more than 800 escaped Black persons had reached Norfolk. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 18

Categorization

• XREF: Dunmore’s proclamation and its massive enslaved-person response connects to discussion later in the Declaration drafting of slavery contradictions, and to the British recruiting of slaves during the Revolution. — connects to: Dunmore’s emancipation offer converted neutral and loyalist Virginians into revolutionaries — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project: A New American Origin…, 97; Britain’s offer of freedom drew enslaved Virginians to the royalist side in large numbers — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project: A New American Origin…, 411; Enslaved people’s flight to the British provoked Dunmore’s proclamation, which itself incited more rebellion — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project: A New American Origin…, 96 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Virginia’s royal governor threatened to free slaves if colonists rebelled #corroborates (0.95) — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 95
• Britain’s offer of freedom drew enslaved Virginians to the royalist side in large numbers #expands (0.90) — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 411
• Dunmore’s emancipation offer converted neutral and loyalist Virginians into revolutionaries #expands (0.85) — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 97
• Enslaved people’s flight to the British provoked Dunmore’s proclamation, which itself incited more rebellion #complicates (0.85) — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 96
• The Dunmore Proclamation, not Lexington and Concord, drove several founders to seek independence #expands (0.85) — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 100
• Dunmore’s emancipation offer drove white Virginians toward destroying Norfolk #expands (0.80) — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 19
• Washington feared British recruiting of runaway slaves would swell Dunmore’s army #expands (0.80) — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 1994