North Carolina Slave Conspiracy 1775: Enslaved People Respond to Dunmore's Proclamation

In the summer and fall of 1775, as news of Lord Dunmore's threatened proclamation spread through the colonies ahead of its November issuance, North Carolina authorities uncovered evidence of a planned insurrection in several counties — particularly in the lower Cape Fear region. Enslaved people had been meeting in secret, sharing information about Dunmore's offer and reportedly planning a coordinated uprising timed to the spread of British military activity along the coast. North Carolina's colonial Committee of Safety responded with emergency measures: increased patrols, searches of enslaved quarters for weapons, restrictions on the movement of Black people (enslaved and free), and the execution of suspected leaders. The episode demonstrated that news of potential freedom traveled rapidly through the enslaved community's communication networks and that the coming Revolution would be a moment of calculated decision-making for enslaved people across the South.