Bacon's Rebellion Research Paper

Bacon’s Rebellion began in 1676 and ended in 1677. It was led by Nathaniel Bacon, a Virginia colonist, who was 29 at the time of the rebellion. Bacon’s Rebellion is considered one of the most complex yet fascinating events in American history because it was the first rebellion in the colonies to include frontiersmen. Historians argued that Bacon’s Rebellion threatened a corrupt government, unified races to take part in the rebellion together, and was a fight for a liberty and equality. It is important to continue studying Bacon’s Rebellion because it is what caused indentured servitude to be replaced with African slavery.

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon, who was a Henrico farmer, led a series of expeditions against the Governor of Virginia, Sir

William Berkeley. These expeditions were led because of the rise in taxes, the low prices of tobacco, and to defend the frontier against Indian attack.

Sir William Berkeley thought to deal with the Indians in a different more diplomatic way, which didn't sit well with Bacon and his followers. In the Spring of 1676 Bacon and his followers went against Berkeley’s instructions, which was to avoid war, and started planning attacks on the Indians. Bacon was successful in leading the two attacks on the Indians and was elected into the House of Burgesses. In May, Governor Berkeley expelled Bacon from the House of Burgesses and marked him as a rebel. Bacon was then arrested, but soon after he was released. In June, after being released, Bacon gathered 500 of his men and stormed Jamestown, ready to attack the Indians. In July, Berkeley ordered his men to fight against Bacon’s rebellions. On July 30th, 1676 Bacon and his followers created the “Declaration of the People” to describe to the colonists and make aware of Berkeley’s wrong doings. Bacon stated that the Governor was creating unjust taxes, not providing the Colonists with protection from the Indians, and creating a monopoly in the Beaver trade. “For having,

upon specious pretenses of public works, raised great unjust taxes upon the commonalty…For having wronged his Majesty’s prerogative and interest by assuming monopoly of the beaver trade” (Foner, 2005, p.51). This created a feud between Berkeley and Bacon, which is what led Nathaniel Bacon to start the series of rebellions against Sir William Berkeley. Bacon started the rebellion by storming into Jamestown and burning down its land. Berkley had then fled and Bacon controlled the Colony. Shortly after, Bacon had become ill and he died, while his followers were hanged, stopping the largest popular revolt in he English colonies.
Bacon’s rebellion is significant to history in many ways.

It was the first rebellion to involve Indians and Frontiersman, which helped to unify different races and social classes in the 1600’s. According to Steve Marinot (2008), “When reinforcements arrived, they found English and Africans together under arms in Bacon's army, and faced the daunting task of reconstructing both the property-oriented economy and a sense of English allegiance.” . The rebellion gave free blacks their rights back and indentured servitude was replaced with slavery, which had a big impact on both the colonies and Native

Americans.
According to Brent Tarter (2011), even years after the rebellion had ended people were still talking about the event, discussing what caused it, and even writing articles on the rebellion. Brent Tarter also wrote that “Robert Beverley published the first narrative history in 1705 and confessed that the causes remained cloaked in mystery. A century after Beverley wrote, John Daly Burk likened Bacon's Rebellion to the American Revolution that began almost miraculously one hundred years after Bacon's Rebellion,” (p.3) .
When Bacon wrote “The Declaration of the People” it set a a model for future American citizens to achieve equality. It also proposed the foundation of the consent of the people. Nathaniel Bacon (1676) wrote, “This we, the commons of Virginia, do declare desiring a prime union amongst ourselves, that we may jointly, and with one accord defend ourselves against the common enemy.” and is followed by “Nath Bacon, Gen’l. By the Consent of the People” (p.52). This quote describes the unity between Bacon and his followers, who were against the corrupt government that Berkeley was running.
Bacon’s Rebellion was the first and largest rebellion in the American colonies in which frontiersmen were involved. When the rebellion ended, after Nathaniel Bacon created “The Declaration of the People” and complained about the government being corrupt, the taxes were lowered and the colonies adopted a more aggressive indian policy, opening western areas to small farmers. According to Eric Foner (2005), After the rebellion had ended, Virginia’s ruling elite were doing their best to restore their power and improve their image, which is why property qualifications for voting were restored after Bacon had abolished it. Planters also developed a new political style in which they accomplished the support of poorer neighbors. Eric Foner (2005) wrote, “As virginia reduced the number of indentured servants, it refined their freedom dues to include fifty acres of land.” (p.100).
There are a few popular interpretations of Bacon’s Rebellion that are talked about quite often throughout history. One of them is John Daly Burk’s interpretation on the link between Bacon’s Rebellion and the American Revolution. Burk’s interpretation on Bacon’s Rebellion influenced many other writers who wrote on Virginia’s colonial and revolutionary history throughout the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. Another would be Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker's “Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon's Rebellion and Its Leader” (1940), which is described by Brent Tarter (2011) as, “one of the worst books on Virginia that a reputable scholarly historian ever published”(p.3). Wilcomb E. Washburn’s interpretation, in The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacons Rebellion in Virginia (1957) is described by B. Tarter (2011) as “the best narrative of the events of the rebellion”(p.4). Another interpretation of the rebellion is done by Bernard Bailyn's and his influential 1959 article, "Politics and Social Structure in Virginia.”. According to B.Tarter, Edmund S. Morgan's equally influential “American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia” (1975), “made some effective use of the county grievances in a short section on the aftermath of Bacon's Rebellion”(p.5).
Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker’s “Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon's Rebellion and Its Leader” (1940), portrayed Nathaniel Bacon as an early version of Thomas Jefferson and the rebellion as a rehearsal for the American Revolution. According to B. Tarter (2011), Wertkenbaker would refer to Bacon as dictatorial, tyrannical, and “despised during the years previous to the rebellion without once citing any sources for those adjectives, which fly in the face of much of the evidence in the sources that he employed.”(p.4). Wertenbaker also described Bacon’s attacks on the “friendly Indian tribes as great victories against Indian enemies and did not admit that all but one of the attacks he launched were against friendly Indians”(Tarter, 2011, p.4).
Wilcomb E. Washburn, in The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia (1957), interpreted the outbreak of the rebellion as mostly a response to the Indian attacks along the frontiers. According to B. Tarter, “Washburn began his account with frontier conflicts in 1675 and did not look further back in time in search of other reasons than danger from the Indians that could have provoked people into joining Bacon in the summer of 1676.” (p.4).
Bernard Bailyn’s 1959 article, "Politics and Social Structure in Virginia,” blamed "a profound disorganization of European society in its American setting” for the infrequent outbreaks of violence and the rebellions that occurred in many of the English colonies during the seventeenth century. Edmund S. Morgan’s, “American Freedom : The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia” (1975) interpreted the aftermath of Bacon’s Rebellion as a rational consequence and an example of the recurring social and political instability in the colony.
Aphra Behn, who wrote the “Widow Ranter,” interprets Bacon’s attitude towards the Indians differently than the way he is described in the historical record. In historical records Bacon is very prejudice against the indians, but according to Jenny Hale Pulsipher (2004), “The Bacon of the play has a long history of friendship with this tribe and, in addition, 12 years of passionate longing for the Indian queen.”(p.45). In the play, Bacon manages to kill both the King and Queen of the Indian tribe and upon realizing that they are actually his dear friends, takes his own life, which is a much more tragic and emotional way of dying then how the historical Bacon died. Behn’s depiction of Nathaniel Bacon is clearly very different from the historical Bacon, who was very egotistical and arrogant.
Bacon’s Rebellion is relevant today because it was the first rebellion in the English Colonies, both Indians and the Frontiersmen were working together, and it is what brought the future Americans to obtain quality. The most common relevance of Bacon’s Rebellion today is that it is what might have lead to the American Revolution. Bacon’s Rebellion is also relevant today in terms of change. In 1676 Nathaniel Bacon and other frontiersman wanted to change the way the Government was running things in the colonies, and when they didn’t get what they felt was necessary they rebelled and protested. Similarly, in America today when people have a common desire to change something they tend to protest or fight for what they believe is right.
Bacon’s Rebellion occurred because of the accusations against Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia. The claims were that of the taxes being too high, the monopoly in the beaver trade, the low prices for tobacco and many more which are clearly stated in the “Declaration of the People” written by Nathaniel Bacon. These reasons and more are what made the rebellion inescapable. The rebellion is also what caused the switch from indentured servitude, which was highly popular in the 1600’s, to slavery, which becomes a lot cheaper. This was because slaves never had to be freed, which would create less land conflict between the Indians and Frontiersmen. The rebellion also led to a chain of rebellions that occurred down the road. One, according to John Daly Burk, was the American revolution. While many historians have interpreted Bacon’s Rebellion differently, it is clear that the rebellion is a power struggle between two arrogant and greedy leaders, rather than a dazzling fight against tyranny. Even so, Bacon’s Rebellion is still the first and largest popular outbreak of rebellions in the English colonies in which different races and social classes worked together to fight against a corrupt government and to stand up for what they believed in.