From a logical point of view,
the Declaration of Independence either affirmed the freedom of the
African immigrant, or it denied his humanity. Because each state
continued almost as a separate sovereign entity, the Declaration of
Independence became a philosophical abstraction, and the status of the
African in America was determined independently by each.
Lord Dunmore, the British governor of Virginia, put teeth into
Johnson's bitter question. In 1775 he offered to grant freedom to any
slave who ran away from his master and joined the British army.
Earlier that year, in spite of the fact that both slaves and free men
had served at Lexington and Concord, the colonists had shown an
increasing reluctance to have any blacks serving in their Army. The
Council of War, under Washington's leadership, had unanimously
rejected the enlistment of slaves and, by a large majority, it had
opposed their recruitment altogether. However, the eager response of
many slaves to Lord Dunmore's invitation gradually compelled the
colonists to reconsider their stand. Although many colonists felt
that the use of slaves was inconsistent with the principles for which
the Army was fighting, all the colonies, with the exception of Georgia
and South Carolina, eventually recruited slaves as well as freedmen.
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