Cambridge, MA, January 18, 1776, 9 3/4" x 15 1/2", 4 pp. The newspaper contains a full printing of the DECLARATION by the Virginia General Convention as a direct response to Virginia Royal Governor Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation offering freedom to any slaves in Virginia who joined the fight against the American uprising against Great Britain.

On December 14, 1775, the Virginia General Convention (led by Patriot Edmund Pendleton) published a formal resolution called A Declaration. This document was a direct response to Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation—issued a month prior—which offered freedom to any enslaved person who escaped Patriot owners to fight for the British.

The December 1775 document drafted by the Virginia Convention was designed to counteract the British offer and prevent a mass exodus of enslaved workers.

What the Declaration Stated:

• Condemnation: The Convention condemned Lord Dunmore's offer as encouraging a "general insurrection".
• The Penalty: It declared that enslaved people who took up arms against the colony would be subject to harsh punishments.
• The Pardon: To prevent Black Virginians from joining the British, the Declaration offered full pardon and safety to any enslaved person who had fled to the British but chose to surrender themselves to Patriot commanders (like Colonel William Woodford).

Just days before this declaration, on December 9, 1775, Patriot militia fought and defeated Lord Dunmore's forces (which included newly freed Black soldiers in Dunmore's "Ethiopian Regiment") at the Battle of Great Bridge. The Convention's December 14th Declaration was part of a larger push by Edmund Pendleton and Virginia Patriots to suppress British influence, halt slave rebellions, and solidify control over the colony.

Disbound, else fine.