The Rebellion of Virginia in 1676, better known as Bacon’s Rebellion, began as a struggle of power between two authority figures, Nathaniel Bacon and Governor Sir William Berkeley. Bacon wrote a declaration in the name of the people on July 30th, 1676 accusing his cousin Berkeley of eight main offenses that Bacon believed were worthy of treason against the King and Country, as well as the colonial people of Virginia (Bacon). In response, Berkeley published an opposing declaration that discussed counter arguments to Bacon’s allegations (Berkeley). Bacon's Rebellion was the most significant act to oppose early colonial government because it permitted the unification between different American races and social rankings, it endangered a corrupt …show more content…
colonial government, and it set a precedent that ensured equality for future citizens. In the last quarter of the 17th century, the British colonies in America experienced a series of crises. Shortly after Nathaniel Bacon appeared in Virginia in 1673, he led an armed uprising against Governor William Berkeley. Bacon was angered not only because Berkeley was doing a poor job protecting colonists from Native Americans, but also because Berkeley would not allow the colonists to slay more Indians and take additional land for themselves (Bacon). Berkeley had already given all of the prosperous land to his cronies, men who Bacon described as wicked and pernicious counselors. This left men like Bacon with an extreme hatred for the current colonial authorities. For the first time ever in colonial American history, the propertyless and underclass people of Virginia, both blacks and whites, stood together behind a common cause.
At the time, Jamestown was a significant tobacco plantation economy. This created a requirement for cheap labor filled at first by white indentured servants and then by black slaves. Bacon successfully swayed black and white slaves alike because he knew if everyone rallied together as citizens, they would be victorious in overthrowing the government authorities. Bacon’s mobilization of the colonists was the first effective unification of different races and economic …show more content…
classes. Much of the controversy between Bacon and Berkeley that led to Bacon’s Rebellion was caused by failures of Virginia’s colonial government (Bacon). Prices of tobacco were too low. This brought in less income for the colony, which gave smaller incentive for farmers to continue harvesting. Taxes were unjust and extremely difficult to pay. Citizens didn’t have money in their pocketbooks so they bought less, thereby crashing the economy. Finally, disagreement on Native American homelands was frequently increasing. The colonists were inadequately protected from these hostile Indians by the Governor of Virginia and were left helpless in their treaty-protected lands (Bacon). All of these mistakes combined led Bacon and his followers to have the upper hand in striking fear into the eyes of Berkeley and the rest of the government. Out of all of his feats, the most important thing Bacon did during his rebellion was giving the people of Jamestown hope.
Bacon was less focused on what to do, or how to go about solving the problems of the corrupt government. Instead, Bacon emphasized why the corrupt government need to be fixed. People don’t buy into why something is done do or how something is done. They rally behind why something is done. Bacon started his rebellion because he believed in equality. Slavery and separation of classes would continue for many years to come, and government would still induce the hardening of racial lines so that rich planters and upper class colonials could continue controlling the poor. However, Bacon had initiated the principle of the consent of the people and had instilled in the minds of the lower class citizens a precedent for future Americans to attain
equality. Nathaniel Bacon was one of few who were unwilling to stand by and let the colony continue to suffer under the hands of a perverted parliament. Even though he died before he ever saw his rebellion come to an end, he was extremely successful in reminding early American colonies why they withdrew from England in the first place. Even though Bacon remained loyal to the crown throughout the text of his Declaration of the People (Bacon) out of honor and respect for the King, in the back of his mind, he wished for a government that served the citizens, not the other way around.
Bacon’s Rebellion, King Phillip’s War and the Pequot War were similar in that there were conflicts with Natives over land, however they differed in the ways the wars were carried out and the results of the wars. Bacon’s rebellion was a result of the poorer classes moving west to cultivate land, however they encountered natives and the governor refused to protect them. Likewise the Pequot war was a direct effect of puritans moving westward, additionally all three wars resulted in the colonists as victors. During King Phillip’s war the natives destroyed a fifth of the towns in Masseuses and Rhode Island in contrast to the other wars where the natives did not cause as much damage to the colonists. Bacon’s Rebellion was significant because afterwards
Bacon was a man of opportunity and when a farmer that tried to trade with Native Americans was killed, it became his ticket to making it big in the New World. Only the governor, William Berkley, was allowed to trade with the Native Americans and nobody else. When the farmer was killed, William Berkley denied the upset colonists their desire to fight back. In doing so, it led Bacon to challenge his authority. He began to rally up colonists living in the backcountry where the colonists had no representation, no opportunity to achieve a fortune, and lived in a hostile environment. Everything those colonists did not have would be Bacon’s leverage in convincing them to support him and his cause. He had led 1,000 men to fight with him in hopes to rule the colony and would make changes to their benefit. William Berkley then branded Bacon as a rebel and sent for British troops. Bacon and his supporters then went into the backcountry where he eventually died of
Things in Jamestown were good. The people were fed, cared for, and happy. They created their own working government order, but, in a place where everything seems perfect, there is always one man to disagree. In this case, his name was Nathaniel Bacon.
Bacon's Declaration in the Name of the People (30 July 1676) The Declaracon of the People.1.For haveing upon specious pretences of publiqe works raised greate unjust taxes upon the Comonality for the advancement of private favorites and other sinister ends, but noe visible effects in any measure adequate, For not haveing dureing this long time of his Gouvernement in any measure advanced this hopefull Colony either by fortificacons Townes or Trade. 2.For haveing abused and rendred contemptable the Magistrates of Justice, by advanceing to places of Judicature, scandalous and Ignorant favorites. 3.For haveing wronged his Majesties prerogative and interest, by assumeing Monopoly of the Beaver trade, and for haveing in that unjust gaine betrayed
James D. Rice’s Tales From a Revolution is perhaps one of the most important works on early Colonial America. This concise and informative narrative focuses on an important event in American History that has simply been overlooked by many Americans and historians, Bacon’s Rebellion, which occurred in 1676. This revolt played a significant role in the course of history at a pivotal time in early America. Rice focuses on much more than the actual revolt, giving a very vivid and easy to comprehend overview of the occurrences that took place before, during, and after this climactic and transformative event in history that would be one of the first of many rebellions and revolutions that would gradually pave the way for the foundation of America.
...able behavior far different from that of rebellion.” The colonists held their tongues as long as they could, but in 1676, their frustration grew too strong. Bacon and a thousand Virginians rebelled and overthrew the governor, in what is known as Bacon’s Rebellion. Shortly after the rebellion, Bacon died, and Governor Berkeley returned and viciously crushed the brigands.
In “Bacon's Declaration in the Name of the People” and “The declaration and Remonstrance of Sir William Berkeley his most sacred Majesties Governor and Captain General of Virginia”, they were pretending to be for the people and the king. They put on a facade to cover up their true intentions. Both Nathaniel Bacon and William Berkeley were insistent on discrediting the other by suggesting disloyalty. There was no way to end their debacle calmly.
The Stono Rebellion and Bacon’s Rebellion both thoroughly demonstrated the determination of the American people in the British colonies. Despite the brutal treatment that slaves received and the inadequate policies for protecting the farmers of Virginia, both groups of people rose up in distinguished acts of defiance. These revolutionaries both had the goal to make a point to the British government that they are to be feared and not trampled upon. The Virginian farmers did not accept the policies of William Berkley and instead of living under his power, they rose up to fight
With every piece of history, behind them were tensions. Bacon’s Rebellion took place in Jamestown, Virginia in 1676, led by Nathaniel Bacon. Sir William Berkeley, the royal governor of Virginia, adopted policies that favored the large planters. He also angered farmers on Virginia's western frontier because he failed to protect their settlements from Indian attacks. Nathaniel Bacon was upset due to how Berkeley was leading colony and led a rebellion against Berkeley's government. He raised an army of volunteers and conducted a series of raids against Indian villages a...
The use of labor came in two forms; indenture servitude and Slavery used on plantations in the south particularly in Virginia. The southern colonies such as Virginia were based on a plantation economy due to factors such as fertile soil and arable land that can be used to grow important crops, the plantations in the south demanded rigorous amounts of labor and required large amounts of time, the plantation owners had to employ laborers in order to grow crops and sell them to make a profit. Labor had become needed on the plantation system and in order to extract cheap labor slaves were brought to the south in order to work on the plantations. The shift from indentured servitude to slavery was an important time as well as the factors that contributed to that shift, this shift affected the future generations of African American descent. The history of colonial settlements involved altercations and many compromises, such as Bacons Rebellion, and slavery one of the most debated topics in the history of the United States of America. The different problems that occurred in the past has molded into what is the United States of America, the reflection in the past provides the vast amount of effort made by the settlers to make a place that was worth living on and worth exploring.
During the years of 1675 and 1676 the North American colonies experienced conflicts that shaped the dynamics of their colonial life. King Phillip's War would effectively end relations between the New England colonists and the Indians. Also, the rebellion in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon stressed the growing discontent of poor frontier farmers for British rule. The consequences of these two events clearly had an impact on different levels that would extend well beyond their time. Therefore, the years 1675 and 1676 played a very significant role in the Northern American colonies.
...ve in Virginia did not mean immigrants were free from its rule. Upon departing England, those leaving would take an “oath of allegiance and supremacy” (Virginia Ship’s List). This meant that the people owed their loyalty to the monarch of England, not to Virginia itself. The colonists of Virginia could have been frustrated that their head official was chosen by a single person, a person who had no place within their community. In fact, Berkeley, the governor the monarch of England elected, “brought high taxes on the people, increased his power at the expense of local officials and created a monopoly on Indian trade” (Divine, 85). This abuse of power is possibly one of the causes of rebellions, specifically Bacon’s rebellion. This republic government leading the Virginia Colony was an increasingly stark contrast to the Massachusetts’ Colony’s democratic government.
John Rolfe played a major role in history in 1614 when he found a way to harvest tobacco. The tobacco crop is what restored Jamestown, Virginia and it would not exist today without this cash crop. Restoring Jamestown is not the only significance the tobacco crop holds; it is also responsible for the early stages of slavery. Since tobacco became the cash crop of Virginia, it was more in demand. There was a shortage of laborers to plant and harvest the tobacco crop and as a result settlers were unable to meet the European quota for tobacco. Since it was increasing in demand more laborers were needed to maintain these large plantations ; therefore more indentured servants were needed. The higher the demand for tobacco, the higher demand for laborers. Company agents advertised a few years of labor bondage and exchange would receive a new and better life in America. In 1619, the first Africans came to Jamestown. They came...
Revolutions are usually described as “radical” events. A “radical” event is defined as one that greatly changes the political, cultural, social, and/or economic nature of a society. I believe that the American Revolution was a radical event that dramatically changed our society. There were many impacts to the changes such as slavery, primogeniture, the Articles of Confederation, republican motherhood, and government. This was the time in life, that we as America gained our independence from Britain. The American Revolution is what shaped our world to become what it is today.
John Beckett mentions that the Glorious Revolution has been considered a historical event related to the political issues. The main target of this historical event was to create a commercial freedom in Europe. After this revolution was done, trade relations in Europe went up, and the Bill of Rights was also created in 1689. Today, the Bill of Rights is shown and known that it was the first building stone for the British constitution because it limited the monarchic power. During the eighteenth century, the period of the Age of Enlightenment is considered between 1713 and 1789 because Anthony Pagden states that Europe was like a republic of states, and it was like a union acting together and talking with one voice. The Age of Enlightenment