Bacon's Rebellion Thesis Statement

Nathaniel Bacon's Rebellion was significant in early colonial history because it pronounced the grim collapse of Native American tribes residing in the Chesapeake region, it brought the first, but short-lived, sign of change within the colonial government to achieve equality, and it produced defining black slavery as opposed to the earlier indentured servitude.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries colonial America experienced a number of rebellions by various groups for a variety of reasons. The protests took place in Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York. Each protest began for a different reason, however, all involved the discontent that some groups underwent in the colonies. Some of the most notable rebellions include Bacon's Rebellion, The Regulator Uprising, Leislor's Rebellion, Culpepper's Rebellion, and the Paxton Boys Uprising.

In “Bacon’s Declaration in the Name of the People”, Nathaniel Bacon lists every major offense of Sir William Berkeley, many of which collide with one another to display how the governor’s actions and inactions built upon each other to create turmoil for the people of Virginia. However, Berkeley defends himself and proclaims Bacon a traitor in, “The Declaration and Remonstrance of Sir William Berkeley his most sacred Majesties Governor and Captain Generall of Virginia”. In order to gain the king’s favor, both men write separate declarations, but one has everything to lose while the other has everything to gain.

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon rebelled and held a revolt in Colonial Virginia. High taxes, low prices for tobacco, and resentment against special privileges given those close to the governor, Sir William Berkeley, provided the background for the uprising. These factors made the rebellion inevitable. All of the chaos was precipitated by Governor Berkeley's failure to defend the frontier against attacks by Native Americans. Bacon commanded two unauthorized but successful expeditions against the tribes and was then elected to the new House of Burgesses, which Berkeley had been forced to convene. Berkeley then sent out a warrant for his arrest and Bacon was put in jail. Bacon soon was released and he immediately gathered his supporters,

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."

Bacon’s Rebellion, Coode’s Rebellion, and Leisler’s Rebellion all happened between the dates of 1676-1691. Each rebellion was a cease or change of power. Whereas, in 1676, Nathaniel Bacon, recruited common men, John Coode used puritans and Jacob Leisler used his militia.

Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676 was major weight added to the scale that shifted Virginia’s plantation labor from indentured servitude to African slaves. Confrontation between the Native Americans and settlers in western Virginia spearheaded an uprising that demanded Governor Berkeley to provide more land to the poor whites. Berkeley stood by his decision to maintain peaceful relations with the local Native American population, which sparked a series of uprisings and massacres that grew into full rebellion against Berkeley and his men. Berkeley fled when Nathaniel Bacon and his ranks burned Jamestown to the ground, which led to Bacon’s rule over Virginia for a short while until England sent warships to regain control. This conflict altered the planter’s view on indentured servitude, understanding that slaves could never become free men, demanding land and creating successful rebellions. For fear of civil war among whites, the elite planters helped launch us into a racially divided slave society.

Bacon's Rebellion may have served as the first civil uprising within the early settlements of America. Led by Nathaniel Bacon, a militia of armed freedmen, slaves, and poor colonist banded together to fight against a government that they felt was corrupt and did not have their best interests in mind. This paper will examine some of the major causes that led to the rebellion such as the increased westward expansion by the colonists, the civil unrest growing between the social classes, rising taxes, and disputes between colonists and neighboring indian tribes.

Without the efforts of John Smith, the leader of Jamestown (Virginia’s first colony), a colony of wanting more gold which was founded by the profit driven Virginia Company would have easily failed. The House of Burgesses was a representative self-government that was built in Virginia. But, this was a government that was followed by class and not equality (Doc. H). The wealthy families who held Virginia’s most valuable land, the “first families of Virginia,” ruled the House of Burgesses. These type of wealthy landowners were not answering the needs of the poor. The lack of responding led to Bacon’s Rebellion, when a gang of bankrupt and landless former indentured servants started the attack of the capital of the colony and robbed the homes of the

Nathanial Bacon was a young, bold, active, and powerful individual (Beverly). Bacon was born in England, taught at Cambridge, and later moved to Virginia with his wife, Elizabeth, in 1974 (Tarter). Bacon graduated from the University of Cambridge and studied the law. Elizabeth’s father, the Sir Edward Duke of Suffolk, opposed their marriage. Her disinheritance by her father contributed to Bacon’s decision to migrate to North America. When they moved they got two plantations paid for by his father. Bacon owned the two plantations along the Jamestown northern frontier. By his social position and financial means, Bacon was brought up in the governor’s council in

Nathaniel Bacon is one of the few rebellious people whose name has been taught from school to school in America. “Why is that?”, you may ask, “why him? Why is his rebellion significant in American history?”. Bacon’s rebellion used to be seen as the start of the American Revolution, but now, modern historians have uncovered the truth of the Virginian Rebellion of 1676. Historians have found out that the real issue that caused Nathaniel Bacon’s rebellion was his stubbornness and selfishness. People may specifically point fingers to a number of reasons for Bacon 's rebellion, they may include the following: economic problems, commercial competition from Maryland and Carolina, a restricted English market, and the rising prices from English

H e burned Jamestown and tried to get Governor Berkeley to stop the Indian attacks. I feel like because Bacon was involved with the government from the inside it made a bigger impact than it would have if he had been from somewhere else.

Berkeley did not care about the farmers. It was obvious that the only thing he

Leading up to the American Revolution, were a chain of events that created a spark in the colonists to obtain independence from Great Britain. The American Revolution could not be tied to one single event but instead by the feelings and determination brought on by this chain of disgraceful actions. Gordon S. Wood explains what he believes caused the rebellion of the American colonists from Great Britain and how those causes help explain the outcomes of the revolution in his essay, “Radical Possibilities of the American Revolution.” Wood argues that the colonists were motivated to rebel against the British monarchy due to their need to preserve their liberties and through this revolution a radical change in government and American life occurred.

Sir Francis Bacon is renowned as the father of the Scientific Process. He was an English Renaissance statesman, philosopher, intellectual reformer and a historian. Nonetheless, Bacon’s reputation and status in history puzzle a many, especially those involved in the reviewing the history of social thought. Most question Sir Francis Bacon’s accomplishments that warranted the extravagant accolades bestowed upon the man. For instance, the publication the Encyclopedie produced during the French Enlightenment, Sir Francis Bacon was showed with praise as being the most articulate of all the philosophers and the greatest intellectual of the time.