Bacon's Rebellion: Final Draft

Bacon's Rebellion Essay
Body, Intro & Conclusion: Final Draft

The period between 1676 and 1677 in the Virginia Colony was the timeframe of a remarkable and fascinating episode in American history. It was the period of Bacon’s Rebellion, an uprising of the lower class of colonists against the Governor, which in many ways would resemble the American Revolution that would occur a hundred years later. The ringleader and instigator of this Rebellion would be Nathaniel Bacon, a wealthy and well-educated young man who had recently immigrated to Virginia. While the premise in the hearts of his followers would be for economic and social reasons, Nathaniel Bacon ignited the Rebellion solely for his own political gain and his wish to stir up trouble in the colony. However, despite the fact that Bacon’s Rebellion was led by the political hungry Nathaniel Bacon, it resulted in a political change for the better for Chesapeake Society.


[At the time of Bacon’s Rebellion, Nathaniel Bacon was searching for an opportunity to gain political control.] Bacon was a greedy and arrogant man who was withdrawn from Cambridge University and sent to the New World by his father after he was discovered in a plan to defraud a neighbor of his inheritance.[1] Bacon had a wealthy and well-connected uncle, also named Nathaniel Bacon, who was a member of the Governor’s Council. Using his connections, his uncle presented him with a position on the Governor’s Council and soon had a reputation as “the most accomplished man in the colony.”[2] He was described by the Royal Commissioners’ Report to be “of a most imperious and dangerous hidden pride of heart, despising the wisest of his neighbors for their ignorance, and very ambitious and arrogant.”[3] However, this distinguished position was not enough for him and he made the decision to exploit the frustrations of poorer farmers against the social elite using the political system for their own benefits rather than protecting them against attacking Indians. Nathaniel Bacon is described by one historian as being one “who then held arms in his hands for love of the new country”[4]. I believe that this sort of opinion is predominant because rebellion is an American ideal cemented by our pride in the American Revolution. However, it is important to make clear that at that time there was no identity or idea of a “new country”, it was simply an extension of England. One historian actually referred to Bacon as though being “called”[5] to the actions that he took in Virginia however it is also false to be believe that Bacon’s actions were in any way patriotic since they were to fill his own personal desires rather than trying to improve society as a whole.


[Despite the fact that William Berkeley was a controversial governor, he was openly respected by the people of Virginia, which is why it is likely without Nathaniel Bacon, direct confrontation with the Governor may never have occurred.] Evidence shows that William Berkeley was a governor that showed favoritism to his close friends and family, an example of how he failed to set up a government that was accessible to all colonists. This trend can be seen clearly when in 1724, all twelve members of the Virginia’s Royal Council were all related by blood or marriage.[6] This was a precedent that would be cemented by Berkeley himself, seen when he, which would prove to be his mistake, gave his own cousin Nathaniel Bacon a position on the council. However, despite the fact that Berkeley was obviously a partial and perhaps even biased governor, he was referred to as “the darling of the people”[7] by early Virginian historian Robert Beverley. It is argued by David Hackett Fischer, a Professor of History at Brandeis University, that Berkeley “bent the young sapling of its [Virginia’s] social system and made it grow in the direction that he wished”.[8] While it is obvious that Berkeley was biased towards himself in his governing of Virginia, I believe that it is unfair to suppose that he was unjust or without good intentions in his governing over the people of Virginia. The reason for this is because Virginia’s government was in many ways based upon the English system of government, which was far from democratic, and while it certainly needed reforming, it is unfair to say that Berkeley was a corrupt or poor governor because of his actions. It is also unreasonable to then assume, I believe, that if Berkeley had been as loved a governor as he is depicted by historian Robert Beverley, that the colonists would have so directly confronted him with a rebellion as they did. Instead I believe that it was purely Nathaniel Bacon that was the incendiary for the Rebellion and that it would not have occurred in such a manner of absolute defiance against the governor had it not been for the urging of its ringleader Bacon.


[The aftermath of the rebellion resulted in a change in the political make-up of Chesapeake Society.] Bacon’s Rebellion collapsed when the instigator of the rebellion, Nathaniel Bacon, died of fever in October 1676. Without the support of the power-seeking Bacon to fuel his rebellious band of followers, the rebellion simply lost its determination, which would be evidence for the idea that the cause behind the Rebellion was purely magnified and distorted by the powerful orator, Bacon. The laws that were enacted during Bacon’s short stint in the House of Burgesses remained a permanent part of the Virginia Colony despite attempts by Governor Berkeley to repeal the laws. They were actually repealed by Governor Berkeley for a short time after the collapse of Bacon’s Rebellion, but most were restored in the February of 1677.[9] The laws known as “Bacon’s Laws” were reforms to the political system that improved the political power of the lower classes and reduced the power of the social elite.[10] They guaranteed rights such as voting for all freemen, the election of the vestry, representation in taxation and the abolishment of holding more than one office. Ironically, it is very doubtful that Bacon had any influence or decision making with these laws; rather they were likely written by Richard Lawrence and William Drummond, who were two supporters of Bacon that were elected to the House of Burgesses in 1676.[11] Before these laws had been put in place, the political system had been dominated by the social elite, namely the very wealthy farmers, and there had been little outlet for the voice of the common class. It proves that, despite the fact that Bacon had rallied up the rebellion for the improvement of his own political situation, Bacon’s Rebellion resulted in the improvement of the entire colony’s political situation and made the government more accessible and adjustable to the public. While it is true that many of these laws never guaranteed Virginians the freedoms they were supposed to, it set a precedent for the future. Additionally, Bacon’s Rebellion caused the British Crown to order a royal investigation of the colony’s affairs, which eventually led to the termination of William Berkeley, who had been such a biased and partial leader, as the Governor of Virginia. In many respects however, the rebellious nature displayed by the colonists served as a prelude to the American Revolution which would not occur for another hundred years. Some of the same issues that plagued colonists that participated in Bacon’s Rebellion, such as taxation without representation and a lack of involvement in their government, would fuel the revolutionaries one hundred years later.


Bacon’s Rebellion was a unique and fascinating period in the colony of Virginia’s history. It represented a situation where an individual exploits the frustrations of other people in order to gain power, in this case political, for himself. It is a plot which can be seen throughout history, even today, however in the case of Bacon’s Rebellion, it can be argued that it served in the end a beneficial situation for Virginia and its people. Bacon’s laws which granted Virginia’s citizens more political power and lessened the handle of the social elite on the political system were kept despite the fact that the government attempted to repeal these laws. Additionally, this poor and biased government, led by Governor William Berkeley was replaced by a different government system that granted political access to more than just friends and family of social elitists like Berkeley and rather created a more fair and accessible government. While Nathaniel Bacon the man may have been an arrogant and corrupt individual that sought for only his own personal gain, Bacon’s Rebellion resulted in a situation for the better of the Virginia colony, despite the sacrifices that were made because of it. While similar episodes in history do not always result in such a positive outcome, Bacon’s Rebellion was and served as a prelude to a similar episode in history that would take place a hundred years later. This episode, known as the American Revolution, also was a rebellion, while its motivations may be different in nature than Nathaniel Bacon’s might have been, served to create a better political system and government for the people that it served.
[1] http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9011662/Nathaniel-Bacon#191101.hook
[2] http://richmondthenandnow.com/Newspaper-Articles/Nathaniel-Bacon.html
[3] http://www.rickriordan.com/Who_was_Bacon.htm
[4] William Alexander MacCorkie; Some Southern Questions
[5] Mary Newton Stanard; The Story of Bacon’s Rebellion
[6] David Hackett Fischer; Albion’s Seed
[7] Robert Beverley; On Bacon’s Rebellion, 1704
[8] David Hackett Fischer; Albion’s Seed
[9] http://www.newrivernotes.com/va/bacon.htm
[10] http://www.foundersofamerica.org/bacon.html
[11] The Settling of Jamestown by Janet Riehecky