Colonial Independence Quotes
The French were carefully watching the events in the American Colonies.
This was the first official act of any state in declaring independence from England. On July 4th---almost 3 months later---Congress issued the Declaration of Independence. But North Carolina had taken the first official step.
Lord Dunsmore was John Murray, 1732-1809, the Royal Colonial Governor of Virginia who was one of the least competent of the British officials in Colonial America.
At the time of the American Revolution there were strong abolitionist forces working against slaver and the slave trade. Southern American slave-owners, the political leadership of the South, feared that England would force slavery reforms on their colonies. Hence, severance from England eliminated that threat. In retrospect, they were quite right for it was England which outlawed the slave trade and led the worldwide anti-slavery movement which had little effect on the new independent America and the political bias in favor of the south of the American compact caused slavery to survive in America, long after the vast majority of the population would have it ended. It took the Civil War to do it.
Burke argued for England giving America much more freedom and self determination. This quotation is, many think, the greatest description of American love of freedom that has ever been verbalized.
Ramsay was discussing the events leading up to the American Revolution. He and many English historians believe that had the British repealed a few if the hated taxes and given America some representation in Parliament, the conflict could easily have been avoided. Ramsay was the first major historian of the American Revolution.
