Bacon's Rebellion and Challenge

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.

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,

Since they didn’t have the resources to keep fighting, they had to surrender and sign the Proclamation of 1763. This contract ordered the colonists out of the frontier, but many colonists didn’t follow this order. Many colonists did not follow this order because there was too much profit to be made, not to mention, it is hard to govern colonies from an entire ocean. The king was furious with them for disobeying and violating the contract. Great Britain put a tax on sugar. They did that so the colonies would raise money for them to protect the colonies from Native Americans. This was called the Sugar Act. The colonists were upset about this act because they believe they did not start the war with the French and Indians. They felt like they had no part in Parliament. As a result, Samuel Adams founded the Committees of Correspondence to improve communication among the colonies in the disagreement with England. There was a lot of conflict with this act the conflict will continue on through the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act was all about taxing paper items. It taxed licenses, newspapers, and colonial paper products. The colonists thought this was a really unfair act being passed. This act caused a series of resolutions to be published. The series of resolutions stated that the act violated the rights of the colonists. The Stamp Act was later on repealed by Parliament in 1766. After this act was repealed,

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 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.

  The American Revolution dwelled on the separation of England and it’s colonies, and surrounding this ideal was the collective society of elites. The aristocratic and middle-class leaders, being the most privileged, were self-governed and practiced what they had preached. When the British came and the American Revolution began, many elites were rebelled against because of the heavy taxation they put upon minorities and lower class. The elites believed that more property meant more power or control among the lower working class which lead to this heavy taxation on the inferior persons. Ruling elites who seemed to have learned through generations that war makes them more secure against internal trouble. Therefore, the force of military preparation began and had a way of urging neutral people into line. Those who were exempt from fighting in the war consisted of Yale students and faculty, certain government officials, ministers, Negroes, Indians, and mulattos. The need for war by elites caused many poor working class to forfeit their own views on political views in order to obey

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

In the year 1676, colonists of Jamestown rose up and rebelled against their governor, Sir William Berkeley, following the slaughter of several hundred colonists by the Native Americans. Their leader, Nathaniel Bacon, claimed that he was fighting for the colonists best interests because it was his duty to protect them. Following Bacon 's lead, the rebellion began attacking all Native Americans, both hostile and peaceful. Was Bacon a hero for attempting to protect the colonists, and putting a stop to the attacks from the Native Americans? Or a traitor for attacking innocent people, and trying to take Jamestown from Berkeley and the other colonists? While Bacon claimed his actions were for the protection of the colonists, they do not justify his actions. Bacon attacked many peaceful tribes of Native Americans, and in doing so he put many colonists in danger. And Berkeley was not any better considering he was willing to sit back and watch it all unfold.

Berkeley saw Bacon’s action as a direct challenge to his own authority. The governor didn’t like his choices, and now refused to grant him anything. However the council, fearing the awful consequences of disrupting an unhappy individual who was ready armed and had the governor, council, and assembly entirely in their power, told the governor to accept his request. With much hesitancy the governor signed it, and put the power of war and peace into Bacon’s hands. This was not a good decision to make considering Bacon just came to the council and threatened them to grant his wishes. He then immediately marched off, achieving his end, which was in effect power to acquire a trust of the Indian trade for himself and his friends. The governor, having failed to raise an army against Bacon to fight his men, had no choice but to flee to the Eastern shore. He then gathered enough strength to return to Jamestown, where he proclaimed Bacon and his men. Berkley had called for new elections to the Burgesses for better aid of the Native American problem. Bacon was not serving his business in the House of Burgesses; instead he was at his plantation miles away. By then the governor had a small party with him. He aided them with clothes, arms and ammunitions, in order to cross the bay and oppose the rebel. Bacon feared that he could not fight against them then decided set fire to the town to solve

Throughout history, rebellions have occurred in attempts to solve issues of discontent caused by wants or needs that were not met. Bacon’s Rebellion, the Stono Rebellion, the uprising of the Paxton Boys, and the Regulator Movement all represent situations of this kind. For Nathaniel Bacon and the Paxton Boys it was conflict of security; they were not receiving adequate protection from the natives. For the slaves and the western Carolinians, it was an issue of freedom and injustice.They resented the unfair treatment they experienced and wanted this inequality to change. These events represented just four in a long history of American conflicts and oppression where, as Bacon, the slaves, the Paxton Boys, and the Carolinians demonstrate, one

1.) Most of who controlled southern society was Chesapeake legislative leaders in Virginia and Maryland, before they originated from past generations in Virginia who came in 1690. Their reasoning for their systems was to receive and maintain land to grow crops, for example; Tobacco, so they sponsored ships for indentured servants from Europe and promising a 4-7 year work agreement, for the indentured servants to receive land themselves. 2.) For the indentured servants was not compared to the cruelty that of slaves, but only about 40% of indentured slaves completed their contract and received freedom. The servants were supplied with basic necessities; a room, food, money, and clothes.

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

Some leaders in the Virginia governorship administration opposed this idea by preferring negotiations. In 1676, a civil war erupted because of disagreement among the colonists. Nathanial Bacon emerged as a leader of the people who lived on the frontier to protect them from attacks by Native Americans. It was evident that Nathanial Bacon was fighting the colonial government by urging poor farmers to express dissent by fighting the Native Americans and colonial government (Rice, 2012). Consequently, the victims of the 1676 rebellion included the Pamunkey and the Occoneechee tribes.

Bacon’s Rebellion was an uprising between the poorer classes and the upper class who controlled the government. Many colonists were unhappy with Governor Williams