Introduction
Nathaniel Bacon is an individual that will be remembered in the United States for his confidence and bravery. His rebellion was the largest and most popular in colonial British North America. The rebellion was called the Virginia Rebellion of 1676, which was considered the first revolt used to stir up the American Revolution. Bacon before his historic uprising was an ordinary individual who was born on January 2, 1647 and studied England, after which he moved to Virginia in 1674 with his wife, Elizabeth Duke. He was a wealthy farm owner in that part of America on the James River and in 1675 was chosen to join the council. Nathaniel Bacon, who led a huge rebellion that resulted in a civil war in the English colony of Virginia has long been considered the most important events in American history; it is imperative to discuss his contribution and accomplishments.
Background Information
Nathaniel Bacon’s Rebellion was viewed as a treasonous act against the ruling colonial government, the British, but after the American Revolution, it was a major step in the rise of independence and equality, hence a fundamental part of the story of the nation’s creation. The reason for the rebellion was the unfair treatment and complaints from the farmers and landless people, who were not among the slaves, on the western edges of Virginia settlement. The longtime governor, Sir William Berkeley, and his friends monopolized power in this region, laid heavy taxes, and ignored their needs, but instead protected and favored the Indians so that they would secure their trade[1]. Sir William Berkeley refused to open up new lands to the farmers in the area that had been set aside for their counterpart Indians. The revolts that had been minor incidents between the farmers and the settlers became a major rebellion of the discontented westerners. Among them included the servants and slaves whose aims were to assert their authority over the Indians. Nathaniel Bacon, who had property, wealth, and standing, led this rebellion.
In Nathaniel Bacon’s manifesto, he addresses all the problems that the settlers faced, including the economic issues such as the fall in tobacco prices, stiff competition that they faced from the Maryland and Carolinas, the restricted English market that was increasing at a high rate, and the increase in prices of English manufactured goods, which was mercantilism.[2] The rebellion began when the Maryland Indians attacked a trader, Thomas Mathew, who they blamed for defrauding them. Thomas Mathew and a group of men later caught up with them and beat some of them to death. The Indians who made it back, re-crossed and attacked some of Thomas’ men and his son too[3]. The conflicts and uprising of the Westerners against the native Indians and the lack of protection from the attacks by the colonists only proved the tyrant and cruel reactionary from the colonial government. Therefore, the rebellion was used to seek liberty from the British.
Historical Significance
At that time when the revolts had started, Bacon was merely old enough at only 29years of age and had just moved from England. He was Sir Berkeley’s cousin by marriage, which acquired him a seat into the Governor’s council3. However, acquiring this seat did not mean that he would do Berkeley’s bidding in wrongfully governing the people. Bacon fell out with the governor when he arrested a group of Indians whom he accused of theft. Berkeley criticized Bacon’s actions that seemed to change the latter’s attitude towards the governor and develop a strong hatred towards the Indians. The grudge intensified when he lost his two Henrico County plantations at Susquehannock’s hands3. Bacon had a personal vendetta against the Indians. In additions, his closest county’s planters, who were newcomers like him, shared the same sentiments. It was in 1767 that he and his fellow western partners decided to meet the landless men and small planters as they prepared a campaign against the Indians. Bacon and Giles Bland were received as heroes in this meeting, who would bring the people to victory. Since Bacon had a seat in the council, the frontiersmen asked him to wage war against the Indians by seeking the governor’s approval. Berkeley, instead, chose to honor their agreement with the native Indians to maintain peace and distrusted Bacon by referring him as an upstart who fought for his own ambitions.
After the unsuccessful negotiation between Bacon and Berkeley to remove the Natives from the frontier, Bacon chose to instigate open conflicts[4]. He threatened the nearby Pamunkeys to flee their village and later marched his army of 300 men to the Indian fort near the border. They killed the men in this area, which Berkeley termed as taking the law into his own hands. Berkeley made several unfruitful attempts in destabilizing Bacon’s movement, among them being an exemption of taxation from those that joined him against Bacon. He was asked to turn himself in and would be pardoned for his actions. Berkeley also classified the Indians as enemies, but only those that had express power from the Crown via himself, as the representative of the Crown were allowed to enforce the decree[5]. Therefore, because he had denied Bacon’s request in an expedition against the Indians, Bacon and his followers were officially rebels against the king[6].
Bacon was increasingly becoming a threat to the colonial government. He and his fellow rebels had burned up the capital of Jamestown, attacked the houses of Berkeley’s wealthy allies, and finally forcing Berkeley to flee to the Eastern Shore. Bacon had confronted the governor and threatened to shoot him for not providing commissions for the rebel army. The events had taken place before he was publicly declared a rebel, thus, spurring up public responses in a wave of support for his cause during a time of economic recession and concerns with the Native Americans[7]. When the bacon was captured and taken to the capital as a prisoner, Berkeley had the opportunity of killing him but decided to spare his life since it would only create a martyr. The public response made Berkeley restore Bacon’s position in the council. Bacon’s uprisings later constituted in the assembly granting all landless freemen suffrage, powers of the appointed magistrates were curtailed, and the tax code to end all the tax exemptions previously given by the governor were re-written. Berkeley gave a go ahead to the above measures, but still disapproved the genocide of the Native Americans. The revolts in Virginia led to close supervision of the colonists from the King in England who sought to suppress it and inquire its causes. Fewer restrictions on non-elite attempts in acquiring land were put in place and the entire economy to a lifetime African chattel slavery from an indentured servitude[8]. The rebellion, even after the death of their leader, Nathaniel Bacon, who suffered from dysentery, was over but brought the beginning of a quest for independence among the Americans.
Significance to Posterity
The rebellion had previously been advanced for various reasons by its leader, Nathaniel Bacon, most importantly as a personal vendetta against the Indians who had crossed him. However, it had a significant manifestation of a broader conversion of Virginia, a fundamental restructuring of war, society, exchange, and diplomacy. Therefore, Bacon matters to the posterity of the United States. The rebellion he led ended an era of the Susquehannock hunters and the intra-Indian war that made them the formidable enemies of Virginia over a thirty year period6. It was a region whose history had been structured by the Susquehannock’s relationship with the Five Nations and the Piscataway. The Indian atrocities that had dominated Virginia over a long time were removed.
Similarly, in the quest for a revolutionary America, Bacon put an end to Berkeley’s system of government that was corrupt. Even after Bacon’s death, his laws were re-enacted bringing about reforms in local governments. The democratic reforms in the government presented the general idea in the 19th and 20th century, which was an attempt in overthrowing the oppressive royal British powers. Proof of this is shown when Bacon consistently disobeys orders from the governor, Berkeley from attacking the Indians. Bacon declared war not only on the natives but Berkley’s administration. Nevertheless, his rebels spent most of their time fighting the Indians than they did fought Berkeley’ since he spelled out his intentions. This declined the ability of most Indian nations that eroded their power and autonomy rapidly.
Bacon initiated the transition that would make possible the fight against the British. First, there was a rapid expansion in Indian slave trade who had largely dominated the area. Secondly, a temporary tacit post-rebellion compromise over the Indian policy. Finally, there were initial stirrings among the colonists of the massive conspiracy between Catholics and the Indians was ongoing. These factors culminated the 1688-1689 revolution[9]. Bacon’s rebellion also improved the economic conditions of Virginia later on after the Occaneechees abandoned their choice location in the main trading path leaving a void. Thus, Virginians could freely trade with other groups.
Conclusion
The rebellion that Bacon led was the first uprising that constituted to a scrutiny of the colonies by King Charles II and led to administration changes over time. It is a controversial scenario from what was the cause of the rebellion. However, what stood out is the move towards liberty from the Indians who had signed peace treaties with the Berkeley administration yet, on the other hand, they were mean to the westerner’s landowners and the landless people. Bacon fought tirelessly against the Indians, which was also an attack against his fellow colonists, making him a rebel. He later accomplished enactment of the laws from the proclamation of the people and drove away most of the native Indians. Even though he died and most of his allies then suffered the consequence of the rebellion, Bacon led a rebellion that is significantly finished Indian atrocities, brought about the revolution, and resulted in democratic reforms that aspired change in the 19th and 20th century.
[1] Randall M Miller et al., Daily Life through American History in Primary Documents, 1st ed. (Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood, 2012).
[2] Jen William and Mary Intern, “Bacon’s Rebellion – Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)”, Nps.Gov, last modified 1995.
[3] Steven Laurence Danver, Revolts, Protests, Demonstrations, and Rebellions in American History, 1st ed. (Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2011).
[4] Jen William and Mary Intern, “Bacon’s Rebellion – Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)”, Nps.Gov, last modified 1995.
[5] Edmund S Morgan, American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia. 1st ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 1975).
[6] Wilcomb E Washburn, The Governor And The Rebel: A History Of Bacon’s Rebellion In Virginia, 1st ed. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1957).
[7] Jen William and Mary Intern, “Bacon’s Rebellion – Historic Jamestowne Part of Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)”, Nps.Gov, last modified 1995.
[8] Danver, Steven. Revolts, Protests, Demonstrations, and Rebellions in American History,
[9] J. D. Rice, “Bacon’s Rebellion in Indian Country”, Journal of American History, vol. 101, no. 3 (2014): 726-750.
