The Influence of Each Uprising in the 1600’s on Virgirina’s Economic and Social Development

Woody Holton. Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1999.

For a long time, Jamestown, VA took in many indentured servants—a worker who is under contract of an employer for up to seven years in exchange for transportation and many necessities (clothing, food, drink, and lodging)—in order to fulfill the duties that the owners couldn’t. Though employers made Jamestown seem like a loving and welcoming place, it was just the opposite. These indentured servants were treated equally to slaves, but many were willing to risk their lives in order to gain their own land. Once they obtained land of their own, they could grow their own tobacco and become extremely wealthy.

Now, as the 1670's and 1680's came along, indentured servants were beginning to live longer lives. (CL) According to Professor Cutter this new class of potential landowners was unable to get land because the rich had already used it all up. (CL) The only land that was now available was Indian land and the rich people of Virginia, selfish and "psychotically" individualistic as they were, were not about to spend their money on a war against the Indians to get land that they would never see the profit of. (CL) So in response to this, the governor of Virginia

Contrary to the pilgrims of New England, those who settled in the Chesapeake area colonized the region for more economic purposes. Many people who settled in the Chesapeake were down-on-their-luck English citizens living in swamps and slums hoping to stake it out in the New World, because it couldn’t be much worse than the conditions they faced back in England. Most received their tickets to America through indentured servitude, paying for their trip with a few years of free labor for a wealthy master. Document C is a roster of indentured servants bound for Virginia who are all set to work for the same master. Indentured servitude had long lasting effects on the colonies, the most impactful being Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 (Document H). This uprising was caused former indentured servants who had no land or property of their own once their work contracts expired. Because the land westward was populated by Natives and therefore almost impossible to acquire, the dissenters focused against the rich and powerful members of the colonies. The successful uprising led to reforms such as work regulations explained in Document E, as well a shift away from indentured servitude and towards slavery of blacks. Other settlers besides indentured servants were aspiring traders and gold-hunters mentioned in Document F. While traders had little success early on and treasure hunters definitely didn’t find their fields of

Have you ever wondered where why the many different countries in Europe came to America to explore and colonize? There were two main concepts that drew the Europeans to America: the excitement and profit of the "New World", and the past histories of their countries. The English, French, and Spanish each came to the Americas in search of a new beginning; a fresh start in which they could escape past torment and capture new wealth. However, each motive defined the character of each settlement.

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

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.

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

During the 1670s, the government of Virginia's own Governor William Berkeley became hated by many citizens who didn’t like any of his rules.He had a rule in place that stated you must own land to be able to vote, he had taxes that had people paying so much money some people were going poor, and obvious avoidance of the war between the Native Americans and them. By that I mean that Berkeley had absolutely no interest in protecting his own citizens from the savage Indian attacks that happened every now and then, he only wanted to protect himself. Many citizens of Virginia, the majority being indentured servants, thought the governor would be extremely selfish and not protect anyone in the account of a brutal attack. Then Nathaniel Bacon, a relative

Indians were being forbidden from buying land and if they damaged land owned by whites, then members of their tribe were often kidnapped and tortured. As time went on and the colony needed more people, captains began bringing desperate men, criminals and unlikely men to the colony to work. The arrivals of these men lead to the creation of a group of rebellious supporters of Nathaniel Bacon, who wanted the governor to approve aggressive actions toward the Indians. When their request was denied, Bacon’s Rebellion occurred and Morgan mentioned that this action showed the resentment of the Indians was stronger than the resentment of the wealthy people of England.

With the dawn of the sixteenth century, there came together in Europe both the motivation and the means to explore and colonize territory across the sea. New developments in Europe, such as the Protestant Reformation and the changing political landscape, contributed to the drive towards exploration and colonization. Moreover, the advancement and invention of technology provided Europeans with the ability to make and defend their claims on American land.

Straits to India, piracy of the Spanish treasure fleet, commercial profit Did business with natives, made fishing and trapping settlements across the continent Fish, need to develop/expand trade, population growth, rising prices, depressed economic conditions Drove other fishermen from Newfoundland, colonized the eastern coast of North America Conflicted with natives mainly over land ownership, often hostile and violent relations Natives were pushed west or wiped out, English expanded territory for agricultural use Allied with natives in trade, mainly fur, and in society, intermarriage was common. Resulted in a combined culture, created a prosperous economy and social relationship A large and prosperous Native American trade center in 1200.

In 1674, Nat Bacon arrived in Virginia from England and he also received a council seat at the same time. Because offices had changed of navigation acts that tobacco prices steep fell in price, and the reason that the grain crop failed and increased taxes, the vast population of farmers and small plantations in Virginia faced bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Berkeley, who was the viceroy of Virginia, became arbitrary and peremptory that the rules of the vote were also very rigor. By 1676, tensions of people in Virginia reached the peak and broke out. The immediate cause of Bacon rebellion the Indian attack on the frontier villages in order to recapture the land that had been lost. Bacon asked Berkeley to punish the Indians but he was refused. In the

The history of America did not begin with the pilgrims landing at Plymouth in 1620, rather centuries before. In 1000 AD, the Viking Leif Erikson settled land in North America, and in the centuries to come Europeans dreamed of finding a route that would bring them to the fabled treasures of Asia. Christopher Columbus, an explorer from Italy, believed he had found such a western sea route to Asia in 1492, when in reality he had discovered North America. Europeans followed Spain’s lead to settle the New World after hearing of the riches and natural resources that the land brought. In the late 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I of England hired Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh to settle land for England. After several failed attempts,

“We must defend ourselves against all Indians in general, for that they are all enemies,” Nathaniel Bacon said to a crowd of working class Virginians on the eve of the rebellion. In the summer of 1676, Nathaniel Bacon led a group of men through Indian reservations, protesting the unfair Indian policy and land grants of that time. There was not much fertile land within the colony due to the growth of tobacco, and Bacon believed the Indians were undeserving of their large reservations. In protest of the unjust laws set in place, Bacon led an army of angry indentured servants, slaves and poor free men into executing heinous crimes against the Indian race as a whole. The men believed they were fighting against a system that promoted servitude, but Bacon used his rebellion as a way of fighting against the Natives, who he believed were evil. Bacon’s rebellion, an act of civil disobedience failed to benefit the working class but instead became a gateway for the emergence of the American Slave trade, impacting interracial encounters until today.