Chapter 7 History
Lord Dunmore's Proclamation
In November 1775, Dunmore issued an official proclamation promising freedom to defecting able-bodied slaves who would fight for the British. Dunmore had no intention of liberating all slaves, and astute blacks noticed that Dunmore neglected to free his own slaves. Within a month some fifteen hundred slaves had joined Dunmore's "Ethiopian Regiment."
Patriots and Loyalists
Loyalists were those who remained loyal to the king. About one fifth of the American population remained loyal to the crown in 1776, and another two fifths tried to stay neutral, providing a strong base for the British. Loyalists believed that social stability depended on a government anchored by monarchy and aristocracy. They feared that democratic tyranny was emergent among the self-styled patriots who appeared to be unscrupulous, violent men grabbing power for themselves. Patriots were those who apposed the crown and sought for independence.
Declaration of Independence
On July 4th 1776, the amendments to Jefferson's text were complete and congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. In August delegates gathered to sign the official parchment copy. According to John Adams four men declined to sign, several others signed with regret, and many with doubts. The document was then printed, widely distributed, and read aloud in celebrations everywhere.
Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley had already gained international recognition through a book of poems published in London in 1773. Wheatley's poems spoke of "Fair Freedom" as the "Goddess long desir'd" by Africans enslaved in America. Wheatley's master freed the young poet in 1775.
Boston King
South Carolinian Boston King, a refugee in New York City, recalled that the provision prohibiting evacuation of black refugees "filled us with inexpressible anguish and terror." King and others pressed the British commander in New York, Sir Guy Carleton, to honor pre-treaty British promises. Carleton obliged: For all refugees under British protection for more than a year, he issued certificates of freedom- making them no longer "property" to be returned. Boston King and his family fled to Nova Scotia after that.
Thomas Paine and Common Sense
Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense to lay out a lively and compelling case for complete independence. Paine elaborated on the absurdities of the British monarchy. Paine basically called the king an ass and advocated republican government based on the consent of the people. Rulers were only representatives of the people, and the best form of government relied on frequent elections to achieve the most direct democracy possible. Paine's pamphlet sold more than 150,000 copies in weeks. Many people passed it around and read it to others.
Joseph Brant
A young mohawk leader Thayendanegea traveled to England in 1775 to complain to King George about land-hungry New York settlers. Brant pledged Indian support for the king in exchange for protection from encroaching settlers. In the Ohio Country, parts of the Shawnee and Delaware tribes started out pro-American but shifted to the British side by 1779 in the face of repeated betrayals by American settlers and soldiers.
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams wanted independence and other changes that would revolutionize the new country. She send many letters to her husband giving advice to him. She worried that southern slave owners might shrink from a war in the name of liberty. She expressed to him to remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.Her chief concern was husbands' legal domination over wives.