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Bacon's Rebellion Essay

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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 …show more content…

Because the low-grade tobacco was being overproduced unceasingly, prices dropped over the years. Tobacco had been the colony’s sole way of income for many years. Berkeley attempted to improve conditions by introducing other industries and building new towns in several places. Unfortunately, the towns could not be maintained and other attempts only resulted in dissatisfaction and increased taxes. Taxes were also increased due to a need for defense against the Dutch and the Indians. The rising price of English manufactured goods and the increasingly limited English market created more problems for the Virginians. From the terrifying tales of Native American attacks, Virginians learned to fear the Native Americans. They pleaded to the governor for protection from the Native Americans, but Berkeley refused to listen to their tales of Indians committing murders and thieving. It seemed to be that the Indians were the ones receiving protection from Berkeley. The Governor and his “grandees” were controlling the Indian beaver and otter fur trades, so he didn’t want to lose the profit he was making off of his business of trade with the Indians. Many white indentured servants were not happy with the Indians who had ownership rights of land, when they needed to find land to buy when their time serving was completed. The attack of the Doeg Indians on the plantation of Thomas Matthews in the summer of 1675 was equivalent to the starting of a forest fire. The Doeg

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