John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation, December 6, 1775. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
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Summary |
| RUN away last September, from the subscriber, living upon Monk’s Neck, about 13 miles above the town of Petersburg, a Virginia born negro wench named JENNY, who carried with her a child named Winney. The wench was very big with child when she went away, is about 25 years old, near 5 feet 2 inches high, and of a yellow complexion. She carried with her a green shalloon gown, a pale blue durants quilt much worn, a white Virginia cloth cotton coat and waistcoat, coat and waistcoat striped with copperas and blue, and another suit checked with blue. The child is between two and three years old, is of a yellower complexion that [sic] its mother, and clothed like her. As she generally goes well dressed, I expect she will alter her name and the child’s, and endeavour to pass as a free woman. Any person that will bring the said wench and child to me in Mecklenburg county, near the old courthouse, or give me intelligence so that I get them again, shall have 5 l. reward and be allowed all reasonable charges. ALLEN FREEMAN. | I’m looking for a Black woman named Jenny who ran away last September. She escaped from Monk’s Neck, about thirteen miles north of Petersburg. Jenny was born in Virginia. She has a child named Winney with her. Jenny is very obviously pregnant, about twenty-five years old, about five feet and two inches tall, and light-skinned. She has a green wool gown, an old blue quilt, a white cotton coat and waistcoat with green and blue stripes, and another set of clothing that is checkered blue. Winney is two or three years old. Her skin is lighter than her mother’s, and they are dressed alike. Since they are well dressed, I suspect Jenny will try to change their names and pass as a free woman. Any person that brings the woman and child to me in Mecklenburg County near the old courthouse, or gives me information that leads to their capture, shall receive a ₤5 reward. I’ll also reimburse any reasonable charges. Allen Freeman. |
Allen Freeman, “Runaway slave,” The Virginia Gazette (Purdie), April 11, 1777.
Background
The rebellion that had been brewing in the English colonies of North America became open war in April 1775. Lord Dunmore, the governor of Virginia, wanted to prevent his colony from joining the fight. To discourage any potential rebels, he threatened to free the colony‘s enslaved people. But the rebels ignored his threats. So, on November 7, 1775 he issued a proclamation now known as Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation. He declared martial law in the colony and offered freedom to any enslaved person that escaped from their Patriot enslavers to support the British army.
Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation was only supposed to apply to the Virginia colony, but it was printed in newspapers throughout the thirteen colonies. Thousands of enslaved people learned of the offer and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to earn their freedom. Even women and children, who were not expressly mentioned in the proclamation, took their chances. Within a month, 300 Black men joined the new “Royal Ethiopian Regiment,” and soon the regiment would grow to 800 men. Women, children, and the elderly also self-emancipated and made their way to British strongholds. They supported the troops by doing tasks like cooking and laundry. Some historians estimate that as many as 100,000 enslaved people self-emancipated during the chaos of the Revolutionary War. At the war’s end, the British kept their promise and evacuated those who supported them.
About the Documents
The first document is a printing of Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation, which declared martial law in the Virginia colony. It also offered a promise of freedom to any enslaved person or indentured servant who agreed to fight for the British army.
The second document is an advertisement ran in The Virginia Gazette on April 11, 1777. It offers a reward for the capture and return of a Black woman named Jenny. Jenny escaped with her young daughter to try to reach the British Army and earn her freedom. It was published seven months after Jenny had self-emancipated. Unfortunately, there is currently no other known historical record of Jenny or her daughter, so historians do not know any more about her story.
Vocabulary
- indentured servant: A person under contract to work for another person for a definite period of time without pay.
- martial law: The temporary imposition of military rule over a civilian population, usually put in place during times of crisis like war, natural disaster, or civil unrest.
- Patriot: A person who supported the American rebellion during the American Revolution.
- self-emancipate: The act of an enslaved person freeing themselves from bondage.
Discussion Questions
- What can we guess about Jenny and her daughter from this advertisement?
- How did Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation change the Revolutionary War for enslaved people in the English colonies of North America?
- Why did Lord Dunmore think freeing enslaved people would harm the Patriot war effort?
- How does this story complicate our understanding of the fight for liberty during the American Revolution?
Suggested Activities
- Pair this resource with Life Story: Deborah Squash, Life Story: Peggy Gwynn, Life Story: Elizabeth Freeman, and Evacuating the Colonies for a larger discussion of how enslaved women responded to the events of the American Revolution.
- Contrast this resource with Life Story: Elizabeth Freeman and Life Story: Margaret Thomas for a discussion of the similarities and differences between the lives of free and enslaved Black women during the American Revolution.
- To learn more about how historians use advertisements to learn about the lives of enslaved Black colonials, see Life Story: McLennan’s Enslaved Woman and Runaway Slaves.
Themes
POWER AND POLITICS
The New York Historical Curriculum Library Connections
- For resources relating to the American Revolution in New York, see The Battle of Brooklyn.
