The proclamation declared martial law[1] and promised freedom for indentured servants, "negroes" or others (Slavery in the colonial history of the United States), who joined the British Army (see also Black Loyalists).

[6] During his tenure, he worked proactively to extend Virginia's western borders past the Appalachian Mountains, despite the British Royal Proclamation of 1763.

[9] As colonial protests became violent, Dunmore fled the Governor's Palace in Williamsburg and took refuge aboard the frigate HMS Fowey at Yorktown on June 8, 1775.

When Virginia's House of Burgesses decided that Dunmore's departure indicated his resignation, he drafted a formal proclamation now named after him, signing it on November 7.

The relationship between Dunmore and coastal Virginia, by contrast, was one in which Britain was trying to extract as many resources out of the economy as possible, and African slaves helped with this endeavor.

[11] By His Excellency the Right Honorable JOHN Earl of DUNMORE, His / Majesty's Lieutenant and Governor General of the Colony and Dominion of / Virginia, and Vice Admiral of the same.

As I have ever entertained Hopes that an Accommodation might have / taken Place between Great-Britain and this colony, without being / compelled by my Duty to this most disagreeable but now absolutely necessary / Step, rendered so by a Body of armed Men unlawfully assembled, bring on His / MAJESTY'S Tenders, and the formation of an Army, and that Army now on / their March to attack His MAJESTY'S troops and destroy the well disposed Sub- / jects of this Colony.

To defeat such unreasonable Purposes, and that all such / Traitors, and their Abetters, may be brought to Justice, and that the Peace, and / good Order of this Colony may be again restored, which the ordinary Course / of the Civil Law is unable to effect; I have thought fit to issue this my Pro- / clamation, hereby declaring, that until the aforesaid good Purposes can be ob- / tained, I do in Virtue of the Power and Authority to ME given, by His MAJE- / STY, determine to execute Martial Law, and cause the same to be executed / throughout this Colony: and to the end that Peace and good Order may the / sooner be restored, I do require every Person capable of bearing Arms, to resort / to His MAJESTY'S STANDARD, or be looked upon as Traitors to His / MAJESTY'S Crown and Government, and thereby become liable to the Penalty / the Law inflicts upon such Offences; such as forfeiture of Life, confiscation of / Lands, &c. &c. And I do hereby further declare all indentured Servants, Negroes, / or others, (appertaining to Rebels,) free that are able and willing to bear Arms, / they joining His MAJESTY'S Troops as soon as may be, for the more speedily / reducing this Colony to a proper Sense of their Duty, to His MAJESTY'S / Crown and Dignity.

Furthermore, the document declared "all indentured servants, Negroes, or others...free that are able and willing to bear arms..."[9] Dunmore expected such a revolt to have several effects.

[13][14] The Virginia Convention was outraged and responded on December 14, 1775, with an unambiguous declaration that all fugitive slaves would be executed: WHEREAS Lord Dunmore, by his proclamation, dated on board the ship William, off Norfolk, the 7th day of November 1775, hath offered freedom to such able-bodied slaves as are willing to join him, and take up arms, against the good people of this colony, giving thereby encouragement to a general insurrection, which may induce a necessity of inflicting the severest punishments upon those unhappy people, already deluded by his base and insidious arts; and whereas, by an act of the General Assembly now in force in this colony, it is enacted, that all negro or other slaves, conspiring to rebel or make insurrection, shall suffer death, and be excluded all benefit of clergy: We think it proper to declare, that all slaves who have been, or shall be seduced, by his lordship's proclamation, or other arts, to desert their masters' service, and take up arms against the inhabitants of this colony, shall be liable to such punishment as shall hereafter be directed by the General Convention.

And to that end all such, who have taken this unlawful and wicked step, may return in safety to their duty, and escape the punishment due to their crimes, we hereby promise pardon to them, they surrendering themselves to Col. William Woodford, or any other commander of our troops, and not appearing in arms after the publication hereof.

And we do farther earnestly recommend it to all humane and benevolent persons in this colony to explain and make known this our offer of mercy to those unfortunate people.

[15][16]Newspapers such as The Virginia Gazette published the proclamation in full, and patrols were organized to look for any slaves attempting to take Dunmore up on his offer.