Collapse of the Royal Government, 1774 to 1776:
A number of events that occurred from 1774 to 1776 were pivotal to the evolution of Virginians from subjects of a distant monarch to citizens of a self-governing republic. These events, initially in response to the closure of Boston Harbor in 1774, eventually led Virginians to declare that the colonies were no longer dependencies of the British crown but the free and independent United States of America. This storyline explores the collapse of the Royal Government in Virginia.
(1) Enemies of Government: Governor Dunmore Dissolves the Assembly. May 26, 1774 -- In this scene: Lord Dunmore arrives at the Capitol and is most unhappy with the House of Burgesses. What will he do? How will the burgesses react?
In May 1773, Parliament passes the Tea Act to assist the financially tottering East India Company. The act provides that the Company could sell tea (still taxed and an item of protest) at temptingly low rates in America. In December 1773, a group of Bostonians, disguised as Indians, silently board a ship in Boston Harbor and dump the Company’s tea cargo overboard. As a result, Parliament passes the Boston Port Act, closing Boston Harbor until restitution is made for the tea. In protest, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other burgesses write a resolution declaring June 1, 1774, a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer in support of the Bostonians. Robert Carter Nicholas, the colony’s treasurer and head of the committee on religion, introduces the resolution to the House of Burgesses. It passes.
(2) A House Divided! April 15, 1775 -- In this scene: Ariana Randolph warns Susannah that her father’s loyalty to the British king may require the family to leave the colony for England if American protests grow more violent. Susannah faces leaving the only home she has ever known and saying good-bye to her only brother Edmund, an American patriot.
The Randolph family has lived in Virginia since about 1670. Loyalist John Randolph is the third Randolph to serve as the colony’s attorney general. His brother Peyton was the speaker of the House of Burgesses and the president of the Continental Congress. John’s wife is Ariana Randolph, a Marylander whose grandfather was president of Virginia’s Governor’s Council.
(3) The Gale from the North! April 29, 1775 -- In this scene: On this day, as Randolph prepares to return to Philadelphia, a rider brings devastating news from Lexington and Concord. How will this news affect Williamsburg?
On April 21, 1775, Lord Dunmore orders seamen from the schooner Magdalen to remove gunpowder before dawn from the Magazine. They retreat when interrupted by townspeople. Angry citizens gather at the courthouse and threaten to storm the Palace until Peyton Randolph, Virginia’s most influential politician and president of the Continental Congress, and other city fathers form a delegation to visit the governor. Dunmore, claiming he secured the powder to protect it from a rumored slave uprising, threatens to arm the slaves and burn the town if townspeople cause further disturbance.
(4) A Court of Tar and Feathers. September 3, 1775 In this scene: Hardcastle is “tried” before an impromptu court by officers of the volunteers. One of them proposes Hardcastle be tarred and feathered. To avoid the pain and humiliation, Hardcastle apologizes for his remarks.
“Liberty poles,” symbols of freedom and serving as rallying points for American patriots, are erected in colonial towns. James Parker, a Norfolk merchant, writes that “a pole,” including a bag of feathers and a barrel of tar — symbols of intimidation — are set up in Williamsburg opposite the Raleigh Tavern. Williamsburg merchant Joshua Hardcastle is dramatically introduced to such intimidation while drinking at a tavern. An angry crowd gathers after Hardcastle speaks disparagingly of the American cause and of military volunteers.
(5) Liberty to Slaves! Dunmore's Proclamation. November 17, 1775 -- In this scene: Slaves discuss Dunmore’s Proclamation. The risks are overwhelming, but the possibility of freedom makes the offer tempting. Will the governor keep his promise to those who join him in Norfolk? Will slaves join Dunmore or stay in Williamsburg?
The enslaved community is uneasy with the crisis brewing between the British government and the colonists. Pressure intensifies during summer 1775, and Governor Dunmore flees Williamsburg. On November 15, 1775, Dunmore issues a proclamation which promises freedom to slaves who take up arms for the British. White Virginians are outraged and fear a mass slave rebellion. The enslaved outnumber whites in Williamsburg and make up 40 percent of the population in the colony.
(6) The Citizen Soldier! May 15, 1776 -- In this scene: Alexander and Barbry Hoy discuss their options. Does she support his patriotic urge to join the American army? If enlistment is the answer to their financial woes, should Barbry follow the army as other women sometimes do, or should she stay in Williamsburg?
Williamsburg carpenter Alexander Hoy, his wife, Barbry, and their daughters Mary and Lizzie, face war-time decisions. Deeply in debt, Alexander considers joining the army to get cash for his family and to fulfill his patriotic duty. Barbry is concerned for Alexander's safety but also wonders how she and their daughters will survive in his absence. She worries about handling the head-of-household responsibility alone.
(7) Conclusion: Resolved: Free and Independent States! May 15, 1776 -- In this scene: Virginia’s leaders discuss independence from Great Britain and the establishment of a republican form of government.
The Virginia Convention unanimously adopts a resolution instructing the colony’s delegates in the Continental Congress to introduce a motion for independence. A committee is appointed to draft a declaration of rights and a Virginia state constitution. On June 7, Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee, as instructed by the Virginia Convention, moves “That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”
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