2) How it affected/caused rebellion
3)How did it affect Chesapeake society?
4)How do we see this issue today?
On Bacon's Rebellion (Beverley);
"King Charles the Second, to gratify some nobles about him, made two great grants out of that country. These grants were not of the uncultivated wood land only, but also of plantations, which for many years had been seated and improved, under the encourag ement of several charters granted by his royal ancestors to that colony. Those grants were distinguished by the names of the Northern and Southern grants of Virginia, and the same men were concerned in both. They were kept dormant some years after they w ere made, and in the year 1674 begun to be put in execution. As soon as ever the country came to know this, they remonstrated against them; and the assembly drew up an humble address to his majesty, complaining of the said grants, as derogatory to the pr evious charters and privileges granted to that colony, by his majesty and his royal progenitors. They sent to England Mr. Secretary Ludwell and Colonel Park, as their agents to address the king, to vacate those grants. And the better to defray that charg e, they laid a tax of fifty pounds of tobacco per poll, for two years together, over and above all other taxes, which was an excessive burden. They likewise laid amercements of seventy, fifty, or thirty pounds of tobacco, as the cause was on every law ca se tried throughout the country. Besides all this, they applied the balance, remaining due upon accOunt Of the two shilling per hogshead, and fort duties, to this use. Which taxes and amercements fell heaviest on the poor people, the effect of whose labo r would not clothe their wives and children. This made them desperately uneasy, especially when, after a whole year's patience under all these pressures, they had no encouragement from their agents in England, to hope for remedy; nor any certainty when t hey should be eased of those heavy impositions."
Rubbish:
(of the nature of the thesis)
Nathaniel Bacon - instigator
of a problem there or not there?
untrue/exaggeration
the problem:
elite vs. the common/
abuse of power
contemporaries- modern and historical?
the voice of the instigator vs. the voice of the common
integrity of the instigator?
the relationship between the instigator and the accused
"Feeling that it would make his triumph complete, Bacon issued his "Declaration of the People" on July 30, 1676 which stated that Berkeley was corrupt, played favorites and protected the Indians for his own selfish purposes."
the relationship directly concering bacon and berkeley
Focusing:
what I sort of want to focus my essay is the unrest caused by the relationship between Nathaniel Bacon and William Berkeley and just the overall effect that their relationship had on the political situation and how the political situation caused by Bacon's instigation and Berkeley's overconfidence caused the aftermath of Bacon's rebellion-
Title:
Bacon's Rebellion & Politics
I. common vs. elite
(the situation is though that when people have frustrations concerning their political position, they look towards a leader- in the case of bacon's rebellion, it was nathaniel bacon)
i. Background:
A. Poor farmers were frustrated that the social elite controlled the political system for their own benefits.
B. They searched for an individual capable of leading their frustrations to the government.
bb. Nathaniel Bacon filled this role.
ii. Relationships:
A. (Instigator) Bacon's overwhelming popularity allowed him to play the leader and voice of the general unrest of the colony.
B.(Accused) Berkeley showed a lack of judgement in dealing with the situation at hand.
bb. Berkeley's overconfidence in his own political security caused him to foolishly place his own position of authority in danger.
iii. "Declaration of the People"
A. The declaration of the people which was written by Bacon, formally declared that the government of Virginia was unjust and corrupt.
II. the aftermath
i. Bacon's Rebellion resulted in a revision of the political make-up of Chesapeake society.
A. The instigators of Bacon's Rebellion were largely poor farmers and indentured servants.aa. It served as a final justification for rich plantation owners to make a final decision to transition from indentured servitude to a system of slavery.
aaa. Slaves do not political power.
B. Bacon's laws became a permanent part of the political system in Virginia.
bb. William Berkeley attempted to repeal these laws, but was unsuccessful when the British Crown intervened in Virginia.
bbb. Bacon's laws were reforms that reduced the influence of the elite in the government.
ii. In many ways, Bacon's Rebellion was a prelude to the events of the American Revolution that would occur a century later.
A. It was the first instance in which people in the British colonies would rise up against the unfairness of their government.
aa. Many of the same motivations which would fuel Bacon's Rebellion would fuel the American Revolution.
i.e. taxes, land, ect.
III. today
i. The situation of retaliation as a result of political unrest is a common plot throughout history.
A. This can be viewed both as a political rebellion and simply as an uncalled for disruption on the part of the rebellious individuals.
urls-
http://www.burgesslegacy.org/house.htm
http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1379034
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