Bacon's Rebellion

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Previous to the American Revolution, Bacon’s Rebellion was one of the largest revolts in history, and accordingly its consequences include the American Revolution. It was the war between the English and the Indians, and the civil war between the colonists of Jamestown and their government. But it was also the fierce struggle between two powerful leaders with very different beliefs. The African slaves and white indentured servants joined together to fight side by side against their common "enemies."

Sir William Berkeley arrived in Virginia in 1642 to act as the Colonial Governor of Virginia. He was the King’s envoy in Virginia, though he was a selfish royalist who believed in himself before the King. He brought together some close friends to form a group called the "grandees," who grew in status and wealth as those not within the circle dropped in condition and diminished. They deprived the people of their rights and thus the Virginians were not pleased by their corrupt and oppressing government. Many young planters loathed Berkeley because of his Indian policy and because he deprived them of their right to petition for redress.

The Navigation Acts, passed by Parliament throughout the early 1660s, changed the trade system so that tobacco planters of Virginia were no longer able to sell to customers in France, and Dutch ships were prohibited from transporting Virginian goods. This idea that the colonies of a mother country should supply materials and markets for the country itself is called mercantilism. Governor Berkeley avoided calling a new election for the House of Burgesses between 1661 and 1676, so there was no political channel for the Virginian planters.

Berkeley was governor in 1676 when the peop...

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Though not much was accomplished by Bacon’s Revolution, it is a monumental, though unusual, part of American history. The colony’s government structure was unwanted by the people, due to the economic issues and corrupt governor. Under the leadership of the talented Nathaniel Bacon, the rebellion was an important step on the road to African slavery.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Africans in America. PBS. 9 Sep. 2008 .

Bacon's Rebellion. 2006. 9 Sep. 2008 .

Bacon's Rebellion. Ed. John Pike. 2005. Global Security. 9 Sep. 2008 .

Billings, Warren M. Bacon's Rebellion. 2006. 9 Sep. 2008 .

Scott, Jonathon. PBS says American Slavery Was Natural. 2008. Black Commentator. 9 Sep. 2008 .

Stanard, Mary N. The Story of Bacon’s Rebellion - Virginia, 1676. New York: Neale Publishing Company, 1907.

Virginia Writer’s Project. Virginia: A Guide to the Old Dominion. 6th ed. 1956.

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