#37 - Lord Dunmore

The Scene: Virginia in Chaos (1775)

In late 1775, the American Revolution was just heating up. In Virginia, the Royal Governor, John Earl of Dunmore, was in trouble. Patriot rebels were taking over the colony, forcing Dunmore to flee the capital city of Williamsburg. He escaped to a British ship named the William, which was anchored off the coast near Norfolk.

From his ship, Dunmore realized he didn't have enough soldiers to take back control of Virginia. He needed more men, and he needed a way to scare the Patriots. So, on November 7, 1775, he issued a famous order known as a Proclamation.

The Shocking Offer

Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation was a desperate move to restore the King's authority. In the document, he declared martial law (military rule) to bring the colony back to a "proper Sense of their Duty".

Most importantly, he offered a deal that shocked the colonies. He declared that indentured servants and enslaved people would be free. However, there were two strict rules for this freedom:

1. They had to belong to "Rebels": Dunmore only freed people owned by Patriots who were fighting against the King. If an enslaved person belonged to a Loyalist (someone on the British side), they were not freed.

2. They had to fight: The offer was only for men who were "able and willing to bear Arms" (join the British army).

The Financial War: Starving the Rebels

Dunmore didn't just want soldiers; he wanted to bankrupt the rebels. Fighting a war costs a lot of money, and the Patriots needed tax money to buy gunpowder and food.

Dunmore tried to stop this cash flow. He ordered all citizens who were still loyal to the King to stop paying their taxes (called "Quitrents") to the new rebel government8. Instead of paying, he told them to keep the money in their "own Custody" (in their own pockets) until the war was over and "Peace may be again restored"9. His goal was simple: if the rebels had no money, they couldn't afford to fight.

The Aftermath (Historical Context)

This proclamation created the first mass emancipation (freeing) of enslaved people in American history.

Hundreds of men escaped their plantations to join Dunmore's fleet. These men were formed into a British military unit called the Ethiopian Regiment. They were even given uniforms with sashes that read: "Liberty to Slaves."

However, the plan backfired in some ways. For many wealthy plantation owners in the South, the idea of a slave uprising was their worst nightmare.

This fear pushed many undecided Virginians to join the Patriot side, as they now saw the British government as a direct threat to their way of life and property.

To explain it simply, the Book of Negroes isn't a storybook or a novel—it is a massive official record list (like a school roster, but for a whole army) created at the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783.

Here is the context of why it was made and why it matters:

1. The "Big Problem" at the End of the War

When the British lost the war to the Americans, they had a major problem. Thousands of Black people had escaped slavery to join the British because of Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation (which promised them freedom if they fought for the King).

The Americans, including George Washington, wanted these people sent back to their old masters. But the British had made a promise of freedom, and they decided to keep it.

2. The Solution: A Giant List

To make sure the Americans didn't just grab anyone they wanted, the British commander, Sir Guy Carleton, ordered his officers to write down the name of every Black person leaving on a British ship.

This 150-page list became the Book of Negroes.

3. What was written inside?

The list was very specific. For each of the 3,000 people listed, it included:

• Their Name and Age.

• Their Status: Were they "Born Free" or did they escape?

• Their "Master's" Name: Who they escaped from and when.

• Their Description: To prove exactly who they were (e.g., "sturdy man," "scar on cheek").

4. Where did they go?

The people on this list weren't just "free"—they were refugees. Most of the ships sailed from New York City to Nova Scotia (in Canada), where it was very cold and rocky. These people became the "Black Loyalists" and founded some of the first Black communities in Canada.

Summary for your notes:

• What was it? A list of 3,000 Black Loyalists leaving America.

• Who wrote it? British military officials.

• Why? To prove these people were legally free and protect them from being re-enslaved by the Americans.

• The Result: It is now the most important document for Black families in Canada and the U.S. to track their ancestors.