Bacon's Rebellion Research Paper

976 Words2 Pages

The Bacon’s Rebellion Bacon’s rebellion is a revolt that occurred in Virginia, which started in the year 1676. Nathaniel Bacon was the leader of this rebellion who was born in England but later came to Virginia. During that time, William Berkeley was the governor of Virginia and also happened to be bacon’s cousin. There are many descriptions about how and what caused the rebellion to start. Low price of tobacco, high taxes for the poor and disputes over native Indian lands were some reasons that is known to ignite the rebellion. The rebellion was vital as it illustrated the conflict not only with Indians but also between the colonist and it also displayed how the colonial politics could be shaped by personal antipathies. Among the many …show more content…

Because of this, as the time went by, bacon became popular among the poor people and slowly people started joining his group. Governor Berkeley, in his statement after Bacon’s campaign against the Indian, stated that “he, Berkeley, had been the people’s governor for many years and bacon is an untrustworthy and unknown guy. He said that he has more success than bacon trying to draw people toward himself” and Berkeley believed that “Mr. Bacon has none about him, but the lowest of the people” (Governor Berkeley, Declaration and Remonstrance). The governor tried to put bacon down but couldn’t succeed as his army was growing. Each leader was trying to gain support by promising independence to slaves and servants. But, Bacon's had influenced more people than the Governor. After some success, bacon marched to Jamestown to his seat in the Assembly, but he was arrested under Berkeley’s command and was declared as a rebel. He begged the governor to let him go. So, he was freed and later he also got his seat in the Assembly. Bacon then created a manifesto in disapproval to Berkeley, explaining why he was attacking the Indians. The Bacon’s manifesto portrayed that “the Indians were overtaking the farmers as they would be the unworthy people that sucked up the public treasure” (Bacon’s manifesto). Nathaniel Bacon also argued that his rage is not only to ruin all Indians but also to stop all trade with them. Bacon, when returned to the seat on the Burgesses, directives were refused by the governor and he was expelled from the council yet again. This shaped as a personal aversion between Bacon and Berkeley, and as a competition to gain more power and

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Bacon's Rebellion

    228 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Shays' Rebellion

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shays’ rebellion originated from a small group of farmers from Massachusetts fighting against high taxes. These farmers organized their resistance in ways similar to the American Revolutionary War. They called special meetings of the people to protest conditions. They even agreed on coordinated protests involving themselves and other people. The rebels closed courts by force in the fall of 1786 and liberated other imprisoned farmers who would be sympathetic to the rebels’ cause. Later on, the petty revolts flared into fully fledged revolts once the rebels came under the leadership of Daniel Shays. Shays was a general in the Continental Army that fought against the British during the American Revolutionary War; this is why the rebels had similar tactics that were used against the British. The...

    Read More

  • What Happened To Nathaniel Bacon's Rebellion Of Jamestown?

    151 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Bacon's Declaration And Remonstrance Of Sir William Berkeley

    845 Words  | 2 Pages

    Berkeley recounted his achievements before and while being governor. He was one who protected the people from the Indians during the war. He disputed Bacon’s claim of not treating everyone equally in the colony. Berkeley said that he valued and considered everyone’s vote when deciding on laws. He stressed that he did everything he could to protect the people. Berkeley justified his actions of not immediately killing the Indians because he says that he did not know that they were committing such horrid acts against the people of the colony (Governor William Berkely on Bacon's Rebellion 19 May

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Shays Rebellion And Whiskey Rebellion

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    The colonists took up arms against their officials because they were unhappy how they were all wealthy lawyers. This all happened because of the population increase during the early 1760´s. People other than farmers started inhabiting the Carolinas. The crops of the farmers failed causing many farmers to go into debt. The lawyers were needed for the farmers to straighten out the money they owed to the government. The lawyers were then able to gain powerful positions in the government because the farmers were indebted to them. By 1764, thousands of colonists were unhappy with the tyranny the rich officials had created. The taxes became high and the tax collectors corrupt. They would remove the records of the taxes they collected just so they could go back and get more money. The Regulators began attacking officials the the government and destroying court houses. The Regulator Movement eventually fell apart because of the lack of control by the many leaders of the rebellion. This event fueled the American Revolution because of the similarities of the the tyrannical leaders of both

    Read More

  • Causes Of American Rebellion in 1776

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most important issue prompting Americans to rebel in 1776 is clearly parliamentary taxation. The first time a Parliamentary imposed tax threatened the livelihood of the colonies was in 1733 with the Molasses Act, stemmed from the loss of profit for the British West Indies under the Navigation Act. However, this act was avoidable and rarely paid. Following the long and harrowing French and Indian War, Britain was deep in debt and George Grenville was appointed British Chancellor. He was determined to pay off the debt by brutally taxing the colonies. He not only reinforced the ignored Navigation Acts, but he placed the new Sugar Act which was similar to the Molasses Act which put a tax on rum and molasses imported from West Indies, but this Act would be enforced. Needless to say, the colonists were not used to this intrusion of Parliament and felt that it was wrong because there were no members in Parliament to represent the colonies. They felt it was a direct violation of their civil liberties and the first whiff of resentment was beginning to spawn. Next was the Currency Act which disregarded the colonies paper money, forcing the colonist to pay in only silver and sending their economy into chaos. Perhaps the most important and controversial acts were the Stamps Acts that placed a tax on legal documents, almanacs, newspaper, pamphlets, playing cards and dice.

    Read More

  • Bacon´s Rebellion, And Nat Turner's Rebellion For Change

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Bacon's Rebellion and the American Revolution

    2588 Words  | 6 Pages

    Nathaniel Bacon and William Berkley, the governor of Pennsylvania had many differences that stopped them from getting along one of them was their opinion on the Indians in Pennsylvania. Bacon started the rebellion because Berkley did things with out consulting Bacon, which undermined his military authority. It caused King Charles II to send 1,100 troops to Virginia and appoint a commission to determine its causes. The British rule had to get involved and put it in stricter rules, which made it harder for people to get power. Bacons Rebellion promoted people to fight for what they believe in despite its view as non-democratic. Bacons rebellion was seen as putting down democracy because it looked like a quicker way to get to slavery even though it was looked at this way it was the first of many revolutions against the government so it could be seen as a starting point of the American Revolution. Bacons Rebellion showed what seemed to be a separation from English rule.

    Read More

  • Were The Colonists Justified To Rebel?

    884 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the mid eighteenth century colonist of the new world started to rebel against Britain. Living in the colonies cost Britain a great deal of money Colonist did not like that they were being taxed. There were several acts passed that angered the colonists. For example, the Stamp Act, the Stamp Act was passed in 1765 taxed all legal documents including newspapers and other printed materials. The Stamp Act affected all that bought printed materials and it did not affect the poor because it was not too expensive. The colonist started to rebel and boycotted “No taxation without representation.” The colonists rebelled in many ways one of them was the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party occurred in 1773 as an act of revolt colonists threw tea cargo of a ship to the ocean. These acts of Britain towards the new colonies caused colonist to revolve and declare war to separate from Britain. The colonists were not justified to going to war to break away from Britain because England was paying more taxes and the mother country deserved absolute respect; however, the colonists were justified to break away from Britain because they were taxed without representation.

    Read More

  • Problems Of 1675

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the years of 1675 and 1676 the North American colonies experienced conflicts that shaped the dynamics of their colonial life. King Phillip's War would effectively end relations between the New England colonists and the Indians. Also, the rebellion in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon stressed the growing discontent of poor frontier farmers for British rule. The consequences of these two events clearly had an impact on different levels that would extend well beyond their time. Therefore, the years 1675 and 1676 played a very significant role in the Northern American colonies.

    Read More

  • Bacon's Rebellion

    1655 Words  | 4 Pages

    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."

    Read More

  • New England Vs. Chesapeake DBQ

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • Democracy In The 17th Century Essay

    447 Words  | 1 Pages

    The thought of the separation and democracy was far and few between amongst the colonists. A thought such as revolution was even more farfetched. Bacon’s Rebellion took place in Virginia's western front, an area of great agricultural potential. As pioneers began to take up the farm land in the west, latter settlers had to move farther west in order to find feasible farming land. These settlers soon discovered that the western backcountry of Virginia was inhabited by many Native American tribes, and that farming in these areas would be extremely susceptible to raids from disgruntled Indians. When the Virginia governor William Berkley denied the authority to raise a militia to drive the Indian tribes out of farmland in the western backcountry, resentment of the eastern elite grew. Farmers sensed that the upper class intended to use them as expendable “ human shields” to avoid confrontation with the Natives. Led by Nathaniel Bacon , a wealthy immigrant who arrived too late to nab good fertile coastal land, the group of farmers formed a militia to attack the tribes. Fighting against both the Indians and colonial authority , these protesters lashed out against the Susquehannocks, and also the Pamunkeys ( English

    Read More

  • What Provoked the British Colonists in the Americas to Rebel against the Crown

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1776, British colonists in the Americas were provoked to rebel by the parliamentary revenue system, British military actions toward the colonies, and the legacy of colonial beliefs and governmental philosophies.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of James D. Rice's Tales From A Revolution

    1812 Words  | 4 Pages

    James D. Rice’s Tales From a Revolution is perhaps one of the most important works on early Colonial America. This concise and informative narrative focuses on an important event in American History that has simply been overlooked by many Americans and historians, Bacon’s Rebellion, which occurred in 1676. This revolt played a significant role in the course of history at a pivotal time in early America. Rice focuses on much more than the actual revolt, giving a very vivid and easy to comprehend overview of the occurrences that took place before, during, and after this climactic and transformative event in history that would be one of the first of many rebellions and revolutions that would gradually pave the way for the foundation of America.

    Read More

More about Bacon's Rebellion Research Paper

Open Document