Featuring: Larry Kenneth Alexander
Transcript:
Let us return to a moment when the air was thick with tension, mistrust, and the flicker of rebellion. The year was 1775, and the British imperial government, desperate to tighten its hold on the restless American colonies, resorted to a bold and provocative strategy. Orders were sent to colonial governors to seize gunpowder stocks—a calculated move to disarm potential rebels and strip them of the means to fight. In Virginia, Lord Dunmore, the colonial governor, wasted no time. On the night of April 20, 1775, under orders, Lieutenant Henry Collins removed 15 half barrels of gunpowder and spirited them away to a British warship.
But in their haste, they underestimated the resolve and commitment of the colonials. The news spread like wildfire, and outrage ignited across Virginia. Many believed that Dunmore’s actions were more sinister than they appeared. They feared he sought to leave them defenseless, not only against the might of British troops but also against the very people they had enslaved. Rumors swirled, and Dunmore’s intentions became horrifyingly clear. He began to threaten what many colonists dreaded most: openly arming and liberating enslaved Black people to defend the crown’s authority. It was a strategy designed to sow terror, to make the seizure of gunpowder seem insignificant compared to the threat of an armed rebellion from within.
But Dunmore had miscalculated the colonists’ determination. By May 3, 1775, Patrick Henry, a fiery patriot and leader of the Hanover militia, decided enough was enough. With his militia at his side, Henry marched to Williamsburg, demanding justice and confronting Dunmore head-on. Rattled by the colonists’ resolve, Dunmore abandoned the governor’s palace and retreated to his hunting lodge in Portobello. Yet even in retreat, he clung to defiance, issuing proclamations branding Henry and his followers as traitors and warning of retaliation to come.
The lines were drawn. Virginia stood on the brink of full rebellion. Then, on November 7, 1775, Dunmore took a step that shocked the colonies to their core. In an explosive proclamation, he declared martial law and granted liberty to all indented servants, Negroes, or others who were willing to bear arms for the crown. For enslaved Black colonials, this was an opportunity for liberation, and they fled their masters in droves to join the British ranks. For the white colonists, it was a nightmare realized—a fear that their enslaved labor force, their supposed foundation of wealth and power, would become their undoing.
By late November, the British initiative, known as the Southern Strategy, was in full motion, and enslaved Black colonials were enlisting for freedom. The patriots, from plantation owners to military leaders, were gripped with anxiety. General George Washington, who had initially barred Black colonials from serving in the Continental Army, recognized the devastating potential of Dunmore’s gambit. He warned that the momentum of slave recruitment would grow like a snowball rolling down a hill and that the revolution would be lost if left unchecked. Lord Dunmore’s proclamation forced Washington and his fellow patriots to confront a bitter truth: the outcome of the American Revolution might hinge on which side could arm and inspire Black colonials the fastest. This caused Washington to reverse his position on barring Black colonials from serving in the army.
This moment reminds us of the complexities and contradictions of the struggle for independence. It was a fight for freedom, yet the seeds of the nation’s most profound injustices lay within it. Let us not forget these truths as we reflect on the founding of America—a story not of perfection but of struggle, determination, and the relentless pursuit of liberty. Please share and visit our website at Wells Center on American Exceptionalism and look for future videos in this series.