Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation

Questions for Further Study

• 1.: Describe the legislative history of slavery in the Virginia colony. How did slave-owning Virginians react to Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation?
• 2.: What military circumstances provoked Dunmore to issue his proclamation? Why did he issue it when he did?
• 3.: Why do you think the proclamation failed to create a “stampede” of Virginia slaves and free blacks going over to the British side in the Revolutionary War?
• 4.: Other than to recruit troops for the British army, what other motivations did Dunmore have in issuing the proclamation?
• 5.: In some respects, the promise of freedom offered by Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation made matters worse for Virginia’s slaves. How so?