Tag «Virginia»

Carter Braxton: Declaration of Independence Signee

A young Carter Braxton by Robert Edge Pine, 1820.

At age 39, Carter Braxton (1736-1797), was a delegate from Virginia to the Second Continental Congress. Though he often voted among his peers within the Whig rebellious movement, he was more conservative than most delegates. Rather than a complete break with England, he sought arbitration to settle colonial differences with the mother country. In the …

The Ethiopian Brigade & Liberty to Slaves

Ethiopian Brigade soldier's Liberty to Slave on uniform.

The Ethiopian Brigade was the brainchild of John Murray, the 4th Earl of Dunmore, Royal Governor Lord Dunmore of Virginia. On November 7, 1775, he issued a proclamation that rattled the chains of slavery; that which fueled the economy of both the northern and southern thirteen rebellious British Colonies in North America.   Open warfare had …