Bacon’s Rebellion Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, once stated, “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn!” (Reiss). Which means one man’s wrongdoing to another can cause others to suffer. This statement by Burns was proven during Nathaniel Bacon’s rebellion. Nathaniel Bacon’s power hunger in addition to the inadequate leadership of Governor William Berkeley in Virginia were the main contributing factors leading to Bacon’s rebellion, leading to the slaughter of innocent Native Americans in 1676. In 1676, the Doeg Indian tribe attacked the plantation of Thomas Matthews. Matthews was said to have stolen many different items from the Doeg Indians which was said to be the cause of this raid. Even though many of the Indians lost their …show more content…
lives in this invasion, the settlers felt that more should be done to the Doegs as punishment. Governor Berkeley did not approve of the settlers taking action against the Indians. Going against Berkeley’s wish to stand down, the settlers turned to Nathaniel Bacon, Berkeley’s cousin by marriage, to lead them in their attack against the Doegs (McCulley). Therefore, Nathaniel Bacon planned for a violent attack on the Indians and set out with a militia group to take on the Doegs. Stated by James Douglas Rice “Chased north by Virginia militiamen, who also attacked the otherwise uninvolved Susquehannocks, the Indians began raiding the Virginia frontier.” The Susquehanaugs were an innocent and kind Indian tribe who had nothing to do with the attack on Matthews’ plantation. Because of this inhumane attack on this innocent tribe, larger scaled Indian raids began. Berkeley was unaware of Bacon’s mistake and was confused by the large number of attacks occurring (Rice). To figure out the cause and to prevent the Indians’ raids on the Virginia Colony, Berkeley demanded an investigation of the matter. The investigation included Berkeley’s attempt to have a civilized meeting between all of the local Indian tribes and the colonists. During the meeting the tribes accused each other with many different crimes. Some accusations were as simple as stealing and trespassing. These accusations were the leading causes of the murder of many different tribal chiefs. Sir William Berkeley was disgusted with the way things were beginning to turn out. Although, what many did not know or realize is that Berkeley had a secret of his own. He was secretly making deals with the Doeg Indians, and this is why he did not want the first attack to occur. Governor William Berkeley was using the Indians to improve and greaten his power. This is why he did not want to ruin the agreement with the Doegs. When Berkeley found out that his own cousin went against his wishes, he was beyond livid. When Bacon came to Virginia, Berkeley had given Bacon everything he needed to survive--land, money, and even the inessentials like a seat on the Governor’s Council. After all the things Berkeley did for Bacon it is understandable that Berkeley was extremely angry Bacon after Bacon wrongfully betrayed him and went against his wishes. Also, Nathaniel Bacon was keeping secrets. Bacon was a cruel and deceitful man. He would go around to tribes and tell them if they went and killed a certain tribe that they could be allies. After the tribe would kill off the others Bacon would attack and kill them. As stated by James Douglas Rice, “After the Siouan-speaking Occaneechis returned with Susquehannock prisoners Bacon turned on his allies, indiscriminately killing Occaneechi men, women, and children, and looting their town.” This proves how inhumane and twisted Sir Nathaniel Bacon’s mind really was. After all of this wrongdoing toward one other, it was later discovered that the whole situation regarding the Native Americans and attacks was really just being used to cover up what was actually occurring in Virginia.
Virginia was going downhill, and fast. The economy was plummeting, and Virginia was falling apart. Citizens of Virginia were having many economic problems such as the falling price of tobacco, rising prices of English manufactured goods, and growing commercial competition from Maryland (McCulley). Therefore, when Matthews wrongfully stole, it triggered a chain reaction that caused many deaths and more lies. Next, Bacon’s lust for power caused him to kill and attack an entire Native American tribe who also happened to be innocent. Then, Sir William Berkeley’s lie triggered the colonists to find a new leader and form a militia group against the Doegs. Finally, and the worst of all, in effort to hide the fact that Virginia’s economy was falling apart, the colonists instigated a huge attack on the Doegs so they could blame everything on the …show more content…
Indians. In today’s society we can learn many things from Bacon’s Rebellion. These are lessons that could be used across many generations. The biggest lesson to could be learned is that all people should be treated fairly and humanely. All of these issues could have been avoided if the colonist or Bacon would have tried to calmly negotiate with the Doeg Indians. If Bacon would have tried to negotiate before attacking he would have realized that they were not the tribe whom attacked Matthews’ plantation. The tribe he attacked was the Susquehannock tribe, an innocent and peaceful tribe. That had no intention to harm anyone. Another lesson to be learned from Bacon’s Rebellion is that the truth is always better than being deceitful.
When you tell lies you have to constantly expand upon those lies to cover for them. The more you lie the more you have to come up with propaganda to disguise your original lie. Berkeley made this mistake when he hid that he was making deals with the Doegs. He had to continually come up with excuses to why he did not want the colonist to attack. He could have told the truth and helped negotiate with the Doegs who were his allies. Instead he tried to cover it up causing the colonist to attack the Indians. Finally, this brings us back to the quote by Robert Burns, “Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn!” This quotation can be easily applied to the outcomes of Nathaniel Bacon’s Rebellion. As seen, the inhumane acts generated Bacon’s Rebellion. Everyone would blame others, cause more problems, and include more innocent, uninvolved people. All could have been prevented by telling the
truth.
Works Cited
Rice, James Douglas. Bacon's Rebellion (1676–1677). Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Encyclopedia Virginia, 30 May 2014. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
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
Many people know about the Revolutionary war and how the colonists seized their independence from the British. What most do not understand is that there was a series of events that steared the colonists onto the road to independence. They began to think for themselves and started to challenge authority. Coming to the New World, the colonists reached for power and financial opportunity when challenging authority in these three examples: the Witchcraft Trials, Bacon’s Rebellion, and the Boston Tea Party.
Nathaniel thought that the government did not provide them with any protection, and this really upset him. It upset Bacon so much that he decided to create an angry mob to burn Jamestown and neighboring Indian settlements to the ground in protest. In other words, he had a temper tantrum.
...y robbing the Indians of their land, the English upset and hurt many of the Native American tribes, which lead to many disputes over ownership of the land.
...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.
Nathaniel Bacon attempted to damage William Berkeley’s reputation by accusing Berkeley of not protecting the people in the Colony. He wanted to show why he should lead the people of Virginia. Berkeley had certain people
This chapter provided information from the trial of Captain Thomas Preston. The chapter asked the question, “What really happened in the Boston Massacre”. Chapter four focused on the overall event of the Massacre and trying to determine if Captain Preston had given the order to fire at Boston citizens. The chapter provides background information and evidence from Preston’s trial to leave the reader answering the question the chapter presents. Although, after looking through all the witnesses’ testimonies some might sway in Captain Preston’s favor, just the way the grand jury did.
Servants and slaves who had more physically demanding lives bore the brunt of the climate and harsh environmental conditions. Moreover, life as a slave was even harsher than life as a servant. According to Taylor, “The planters also afforded Africans even less food, poorer housing, and less medical attention than the servants…” (Taylor). William Byrds diary showcases some of the cruel treatment of slaves in the Chesapeake. He wrote, “Eugene pissed abed again for which I made him drink a pint of piss” (Byrd). Many colonists saw their slaves as subhuman, which helped them treat their slaves with such brutality. Taylor references an English visitor who wrote that, “‘The planters do not want to be told that their Negroes are human creatures. If they believe them to be of human kind, they cannot regard them…as no better than dogs or horses’” (Taylor). Additionally, colonial slave laws strengthened the dehumanization of slaves. For example, one law passed in December of 1662 stated that “all children born in this country shall be held bond or free only according to the condition of the mother” (Virginia Slave
...actually make significant changes. In many ways, Bacon’s rebellion was an accurate precursor to the revolution because it showed how settlers would respond with revolt after failing to pressure the colonial government. Like with Bacon’s rebellion, the American Revolution required a couple of rebellious incidents before unifying groups of settlers to organize a more forceful push to achieve their desires.
There are many situations in life where a rebellion is required for improvement. For instance, the Stono Rebellion, Pontiac’s War, Shay’s Rebellion, and Bacon’s Rebellion all had the same idea in common, they all wanted change. They all wanted to improve America’s society. The tactic in each rebellion was different, the motives were different, and not all the outcomes were successful. All of these rebellions also had unobvious internal struggles which either weaken or strengthen them. It is likely that Bacon’s Rebellion could have been avoided because it did not leave a positive impact on America’s society. Although, if the Stono Rebellion, Pontiac’s war, and Shay’s Rebellion never occurred the government would not be
The French Revolution was a period of political upheaval that occurred in France during the latter half of the 18th century. This revolution marked an end to the system of feudalism and the monarchy in France and a rise to democracy and new Enlightenment ideas. By 1789, when the revolution began, France was in a deep financial crisis due to the debt they had obtained over many years of reckless spending and France was nearly bankrupt. These financial issues fell almost completely on the bottom social class or the Third Estate which made up a majority of the country. Because of this financial trouble the common people were heavily taxed leaving many of them in poverty. In addition to the economic issues, France also held an Estate System that led to heavy
...nd. But the Lenape Indians never left Marshall alone or let him enjoy his winnings. In 1747, a group of Delaware Indians attacked Marshall’s family in their home in Pennsylvania. In this attack Marshall lost his son. Marshall left Pennsylvania for a short time but returned again. In 1756, the Lenape Indians attacked Marshall’s home once again and took the life of his wife and left her scalped.
The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.
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.
With buffalo numbers decreasing fast, Native American tribes faced starvation and desperation. There were many different actions the Americans did to destroy the land of the Native Americans. Western expansion caused a shift in the lives of Native Americans because many tribes, including women and kids, were being murdered by the new settlers. S.G. Colley, a U.S. Indian Agent, writes in a Report for the Committee on the Conduct of War, “That notwithstanding his knowledge of the facts as above set forth, he is informed that Colonel Chivington did, on the morning of the 29th of November last, surprise and attack said camp of friendly Indians and massacre a large number of them, (mostly women and children,) and did allow the troops of his command to mangle and mutilate them in the most horrible manner” (Colley, 1865). This quote shows the Americans were exterminating innocent American Indians for no justifiable reason.