Congress passed a resolution complying with these recommendations.[48] Laurens, the father of the movement, was made a lieutenant-colonel and he went immediately home to urge upon South Carolina the expediency of adopting this plan.  There Laurens met determined opposition from the majority of the aristocrats who set themselves against “a measure of so threatening aspect and so offensive to that republican pride, which disdains to commit the defence of the country to servile bands or share with a color to which the idea of inferiority is inseparably connected, the profession of arms, and that approximation of condition which must exist between the regular soldier and the militiaman.”  It was to no purpose too that Laurens renewed his efforts at a later period.  He mustered all of his energy to impress upon the Legislature the need of taking this action but finally found himself outvoted, having only reason on his side and “being opposed by a triple-headed monster that shed the baneful influence of avarice, prejudice, and pusillanimity in all our assemblies.”  “It was some consolation to me, however,” said he, “to find that philosophy and truth had made some little progress since my last effort, as I obtained twice as many suffrages as before.”

Hearing of the outcome, Washington wrote him that he was not at all astonished at it, as that spirit of freedom, which at the commencement of the Revolution would have sacrificed everything to the attainment of this object, had long since subsided, and every selfish passion had taken its place.  “It is not the public but the private interest,” said he, “which influences the generality of mankind, nor can Americans any longer boast an exception.  Under these circumstances it would have been rather surprising if you had succeeded."[49] It is difficult, however, to determine exactly what Washington’s attitude was.  Two days after Hamilton wrote Jay about raising colored troops in South Carolina, the elder Laurens wrote Washington:  “Had we arms for three thousand such black men as I could select in Carolina, I should have no doubt of success in driving the British out of Georgia, and subduing East Florida before the end of July.”  To this Washington answered:  “The policy of our arming slaves is in my opinion a moot point, unless the enemy set the example.  For, should we begin to form Battalions of them, I have not the smallest doubt, if the war is to be prosecuted, of their following us in it, and justifying the measure upon our own ground.  The contest then must be who can arm fastest, and where are our arms?  Besides I am not clear that a discrimination will not render slavery more irksome to those who remain in it.  Most of the good and evil things in this life are judged by comparison; and I fear a comparison in this case will be productive of much discontent in those, who are held in servitude.  But, as this is a subject that has never employed much of my thoughts, these are no more than the first crude Ideas that have struck me upon ye occasion."[50]