LIBERATING THEMSELVES
The Impact of Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation on African-Americans in the Revolutionary War
The desire for freedom was always a propelling motivation for enslaved Africans in the colonies. As war broke out a popular sentiment of liberty for enslaved peoples grew. This sparked concerns for many colonists who believed blacks had an ulterior motive to join the Patriot cause. However, black involvement on the side of the patriots still occurred. Both enslaved and free Africans would fight for the Continental Army, yet very few gained the freedoms which were once espoused. While some Africans eventually received their freedom, many returned to bondage after the war. On the contrary, in a time of desperation, the British saw black involvement as their saving grace. Lord Dunmore’s predicament prompted him to rely upon a new source of troops. A decision that would turn the tide of the war.
For a short overview of black Americans’ role in the Revolution, check out the Crash Course Black American History Video on the American Revolution. Source: Crash Course
Click on each tab below to learn more about the freedom struggles of Black Americans during the revolutionary war!
Source: Black Loyalist
Lord Dunmore served as the governor of Virginia from the year 1771-1775. By the end of his tenure, he had angered the Virginian people after taking the gunpowder out of local armories, leaving them defenseless. Instead of working to extinguish the discontent he was receiving from Virginians, Dunmore released a bombshell. On November 7, 1775, Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation declared that the current circumstances of his army required drastic action. The most notable and impactful addition to the proclamation was the request for the service of slaves. “And I do hereby further declare all indentured Servants, Negroes, or others, free that are able and willing to bear Arms, they joining His Majesty’s Troop as soon as may be, for the more speedily reducing this colony to a proper Sense of their duty, to His Majesty’s Crown and Dignity.” As the Proclamation spread across the colonies, enslaved blacks were called to action. The thought of liberty began to seem more realistic.
Virginia’s General Convention was the first to act upon the release of Dunmore’s Proclamation. Angered by the call to action towards enslaved people, the General Convention sought to counteract what had started a spread in the idea of liberty for blacks. The Virginia Declaration stated, “It is enacted, that all Negro or other slaves, conspiring to rebel or make insurrection, shall suffer death, and be excluded all benefit of clergy.” The General Convention’s call to action represented their disagreement with Dunmore’s Proclamation and the worry of losing their slaves. As black slaves fled from the fields to Lord Dunmore’s camp, the concern of slave owners grew. First, the thought of former slaves taking up arms presented a whole new worry of what could happen if they found their way back to the plantations where they were once forced to work. Secondly, the dependence of slave labor in the colony brought concern over the state of the economy. Although execution was the punishment for runaway slaves, the Virginia General Convention did give the opportunity for slaves to turn themselves back in.
Source: Black Loyalist
Africans, both enslaved and free, were participants in the war in various ways. They fought on both sides of the Revolutionary War for two main reasons, freedom from enslavement for themselves or others and equality under the law which would give them the ability to live fruitful lives. Some also fought in the war to take revenge on their enslavers, but this was not as big of a driving factor as the aforementioned reasons. Black Loyalists appeared to have the best chance at gaining freedom after Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation in 1775. This led to the creation of the Ethiopian Regiment, which served under Lord Dunmore until his retreat from Norfolk. Many of the men who served in this regiment fought hard for the British and would give their lives for the possibility of freedom. Chief among them was a man named Colonel Tye, who fought for several years under Lord Dunmore before he was shot in a battle and eventually died from the infection that ensued. However, even with all the rhetoric about freedom that came from Lord Dunmore, the black troops were often still treated worse than their white counterparts.
Source: Black Past
Source: BlackPast
Even though the majority of the African Americans who served in the war would fight on the side of the British, there was a small number of patriot fighters who served in the Continental Army. George Washinton who was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army and the politicians who were leading the Continental Congress were both opposed to the idea of having armed blacks in the army. Many enslaved Africans would serve in undesired, non-combat roles which assisted the Continental Army. An enslaved African who participated in the war was Captain Mark Starlins, who served as a boat pilot on the patriot side. He was supposedly a devoted patriot who wholeheartedly believed in the cause, but even after the war ended he never gained his freedom and he would die a slave (Barron). The fact that Captain Mark Starlins had served on the Continental side in order to secure his enslaver’s freedom from the British, but he would never live a day as a free man shows the hypocrisy of the Revolutionary War in terms of liberty and equality for enslaved Africans.
Source: Black Past
Efforts from enslaved Africans to escape from life in bondage during the war generally did not result in a much better life after the end of the conflict. Though Lord Dunmore’s proclamation made the British appear welcoming to American slaves, in reality, those serving in the Ethiopian Regiment were forced to undertake the most brutal tasks, and most would die of smallpox within a year. In general, the service of a Black Loyalist under the British was both risky and unrewarded. Especially in the south, Loyalists and British officers who had received runaway blacks treated them simply as property, or treasures gained from warfare. Such sentiments resulted in thousands of Black Loyalists being sold back into bondage in the Caribbean. Still, other Black Loyalists stationed in the last British stronghold of New York at the end of the conflict would be evacuated to Birchtown, Nova Scotia. Though still subject to harsh conditions, they would build a free community in this province.
Virginia’s General Convention was the first to act upon the release of Dunmore’s Proclamation. Angered by the call to action towards enslaved people, the General Convention sought to counteract what had started a spread in the idea of liberty for blacks. The Virgnia Declaration stated, “It is enacted, that all Negro or other slaves, conspiring to rebel or make insurrection, shall suffer death, and be excluded all benefit of clergy.” The General Convention’s call to action represented their disagreement with Dunmore’s Proclamation and the worry of losing their slaves. As black slaves fled from the fields to Lord Dunmore’s camp, the concern of slave owners grew. First, the thought of former slaves taking up arms presented a whole new worry of what could happen if they found their way back to the plantations where they were once forced to work. Secondly, the dependence of slave labor in the colony brought concern over the state of the economy. Although execution was the punishment for runaway slaves, the Virginia General Convention did give the opportunity for slaves to turn themselves back in.
A page from the Treaty of Paris.
Source: National Archives
