Lord Dunmore Issues Proclamation Offering Freedom to Enslaved People Who Join British Forces

On November 7, 1775, Virginia's royal governor Lord Dunmore declared martial law and offered freedom to enslaved men belonging to rebel colonists who could reach British lines and bear arms. Within weeks, roughly 800 men had escaped to join him. They were organized into the Ethiopian Regiment, whose uniforms reportedly bore the motto 'Liberty to Slaves.' The proclamation terrified Virginia slaveholders and hardened Southern opposition to British rule.