Bacon's Rebellion
The study of historical events, such as "Bacon's Rebellion", is not an exacting science. Many times the results of the study lay to the perception of the reader. Bacon's Rebellion is yet marked in the history of Virginia, as being the only rebellion occurring in the Colony, during the 168 years of its existence preceding the American Revolution, and one hundred years exactly before that event (Force). The rebellion of Bacon, as it is improperly called, has been little understood, its cause and course being imperfectly explained by any authentic document hitherto possessed (Force). This paper will briefly describe the actions that occurred during the events known as "Bacon's Rebellion", and list some of the possible implications the rebellion may have created. As with the study of many historical events, there is no definite cause and effect scenario stating, "This happened as a result of that particular occurrence". In 1674, King Charles II began the enforcement of heavy taxes on the American colonies. These taxes, which hit heavily on the poorer folks, were enacted and collected by justices and members of the House of Burgesses, under the direction of Virginian Governor William Berkeley. Charles also began splitting the c
The history of the colonies and the world might have been quite different had Bacon's rule lasted; however, within a few months, Bacon suddenly died of dysentery. Governor Berkeley reclaimed the governorship and control returned to the British Empire. Historians have examined the events that occurred during this period of Nathaniel Bacon's life closely. With sentiment at a fevered pitch against the Indians and the government, conditions were ripe for a leader to emerge to combat them. At this point, Nathaniel Bacon, a young, wealthy Englishman who had recently settled in the backcountry of Virginia, entered the action as a major participant. Indians had attacked Bacon's plantation, killing one of his indentured servants, and he wanted revenge for this deed. Bacon led a party of men into the frontier, without commission, to confront the Indians. He met with success by convincing two rivaling tribes to attack each other, and then attacking the remnants himself (Wertenbaker 20). Governor Berkeley declared Bacon and his followers to be rebels and traitors, both of which carried a potential penalty of death (Washburn 41). The transition to slavery is often attributed to these events, as those in power now feared the unification of black slaves and poorer whites in resistance to their control. Conditions improved to a degree for poorer whites, the
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Approximate Word count = 919
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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