On November 7, 1775, from the deck of a British warship anchored off Norfolk, Virginia, Lord Dunmore issued a proclamation that shook the colonies to their core. The royal governor declared martial law and promised freedom to any enslaved person who would take up arms for the King.
It was a desperate act, meant to crush rebellion and strike fear into Virginia’s planters. Instead, it ignited outrage among Patriots and inspired thousands of enslaved people to risk everything for liberty. In trying to save the Crown’s authority, Dunmore revealed the Revolution’s deepest contradiction: a nation fighting for freedom while denying it to so many.
Tonight, we explore the story of Dunmore’s Proclamation, the men and women who answered its call, and how a single declaration transformed the American Revolution into a battle not just for independence, but for the meaning of freedom itself.
