424 Dunmore's Proclamation & the American Revolution in Virginia

Ben Franklin's World

Liz Covart

Earlyrepublic, History, Benfranklin, Society & Culture, Warforindependence, Earlyamericanrepublic, Earlyamericanhistory, Education, Colonialamerica, Americanrevolution, Ushistory, Benjaminfranklin

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 November 2025

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In November 1775, as tensions between the British Empire and its rebellious colonies continued to escalate, Virginia’s royal governor made a radical—and to some, terrifying—proclamation: Any enslaved person who fled a revolutionary enslaver and joined the British Army would gain their freedom. Known to history as Dunmore’s Proclamation, this single decree changed the course of the American Revolution in the South. It offered a lifeline to thousands of enslaved men, women, and their families, ignited fierce debates about loyalty and liberty, and revealed deep contradictions at the heart of a revolution that claimed to fight for freedom. In honor of the 250th anniversary of Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation, we’re taking a deeper look at the man behind it: John Murray, Fourth Earl of Dunmore, and at the Revolution in Virginia, which he helped fuel. Our guide for this exploration is Andrew Lawler, an award-winning journalist and author of A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis that Spurred the American Revolution. Andrew's Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/424 RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 109: The American Enlightenment & Cadwallader Colden🎧 Episode 162: Dunmore's New World🎧 Episode 252: The Highland Soldier in North America🎧 Episode 322: Running From Bondage in Revolutionary America🎧 Episode 333: Disruptions in Yorktown🎧 Episode 398: The Shawnee-Dunmore War, 1774SUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 [email protected] YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener CommunityLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. = Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:00.0	Hello, this is Matt and McKinley from History Dispatches.
0:07.6	We are the father-son duo bringing you the weird, the wild, the wacky, and the craziest tales from across time.
0:13.2	From the Ice Bowl to the Great Heathen Army and the head of Oliver Cromwell.
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0:28.2	podcast app. I'm Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center. A few years ago,
0:36.3	learning about the forgotten meaning of the pursuit of
0:38.9	happiness changed my life. When the founders wrote that famous phrase in the Declaration of
0:43.8	Independence, they meant an ongoing commitment to self-improvement and lifelong learning.
0:49.6	This discovery inspired me to write a book, and in my new podcast, I explore the founder's lives with
0:54.9	the historians who know them best. Plus, filmmaker Ken Byrne shares his daily practice of self-reflection.
1:02.1	Join me for Pursuit, the Founder's Guide to Happiness.
1:06.1	You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast. I might dispute that point because remember Dunmore did not, although he dissolved the
1:15.5	assembly, which pretty much he kind of had to do.
1:19.1	I mean, he couldn't allow them to thumb their nose of the king.
1:22.4	So he was in a tight spot, but he didn't try to prevent them.
1:26.6	He could have barred them from entering Bruton
1:29.6	Parish Church, where the service took place. He didn't. He could have put out a proclamation saying
1:35.7	that people shouldn't go to church on that day. It was the middle of the week. But he did none of
1:40.0	these. In fact, he remained remarkably silent on the issue of the revolution, issues like T and tariffs.
1:47.4	He didn't talk about these well into 1775.
	...

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