Bacon's Rebellion or the Virginia Rebellion was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony, led by Nathaniel Bacon. It was the first rebellion in the American colonies in which discontented frontiersmen took part; a similar uprising in Maryland occurred later that year. The uprising was a protest against the governor of Jamestown. Nathaniel Bacon demanded an aggressive Native American policy. Look up rebellion in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The 1609 charter for the Virginia colony from sea to sea The Virginia Colony refers to the English colony in North America that existed during the 17th and 18th centuries before the American Revolution. ... Nathaniel Bacon, engraving Nathaniel Bacon (c. ... In 1775, the British claimed authority over the red and pink areas on this map and Spain ruled the orange. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Largest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 101 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N... Nathaniel Bacon, engraving Nathaniel Bacon (c. ... For other uses, see Native Americans (disambiguation). ...

Portrait of Nathaniel Bacon.

Download high resolution version (640x904, 166 KB)From Library of Congress page: http://memory. ... Download high resolution version (640x904, 166 KB)From Library of Congress page: http://memory. ...

Background

By the end of the seventeenth century in the area around the Chesapeake Bay, the elite farmers on the Atlantic coast (called the "Tidewater gentry") owned much of the best farmland in the area and exercised political power disproportionate to their numbers. The most numerous residents in the colony were small farmers, indentured servants and slaves, who had many reasons to be discontented. Small farmers, unable to afford the best lands, were relegated to backcountry lands vulnerable to attacks by Native Americans. Backcountry farmers also had difficulty moving their goods to markets, as Virginia's economy stagnated after 1660. The Chesapeake Bay - Landsat photo The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. ... Atlantic and North Atlantic redirect here. ... The Tidewater region of Virginia is the southeastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia, centered on Hampton Roads. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An Indentured servant is an unfree labourer under contract to work (for a specified amount of time) for another person, often without any pay, but in exchange for accommodation, food, other essentials and/or free passage to a new country. ... This article is about the people indigenous to the United States. ...

Chronic overproduction of an inferior quality of tobacco, aggravated by restrictive features of the Navigation Acts, drove the price of tobacco down.^[1] Expensive experimentation with methods of diversifying the economy and the need for defense against the Dutch and the Indians resulted in high taxes. In 1674 both the Home Office and the local government taxed the colonists in order to send agents to London to lobby against the proprietary land grants to Lord Arlington and Lord Culpepper.^[2] Circumstances conspired to exacerbate the planters' miseries, and the ineffectual leadership of the colonial governor of Virginia, Sir William Berkeley,led to a general disaffection toward the government. Shredded tobacco leaf for pipe smoking Tobacco can also be pressed into plugs and sliced into flakes Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Navigation Acts The English Navigation Acts were a series of laws which restricted the use of foreign shipping in the trade of England (later the Kingdom of Great Britain and its colonies). ... Shredded tobacco leaf for pipe smoking Tobacco can also be pressed into plugs and sliced into flakes Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. ... The Dutch (Ethnonym: Nederlanders meaning Lowlanders) are the dominant ethnic group[1] of the Netherlands[2]. They are usually seen as a Germanic people. ... Taxes redirects here. ... Tim Kaine, the current Governor The Governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For the 15th-century marquess, see Marquess of Berkeley. ...

Events

A flare-up in troubles with the Indians began in July 1675 with a raid by the Doeg tribe on the plantation of Thomas Mathews, located in the Northern Neck section of Virginia near the Potomac River. The situation became critical when, in retaliation, the colonists attacked a different native nation, the Susquehannocks, which set in motion large-scale native raids.^[3] To prevent future attacks and to bring the matter under control, Governor Berkeley ordered an investigation into the matter. He set up what was to be a disastrous meeting between the parties, which resulted in the murders of several tribal leaders.^[4] The killing of the Susquehannock envoys touched off a series of Indian atrocities throughout the area, lasting through the fall and winter of 1675-76.^[5] The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... Susquehannock The Susquehannock people were natives of areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries from the southern part of what is now New York, through Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Susquehanna in Maryland at the north end of the Chesapeake Bay. ...

Throughout the crisis, Berkeley would not call out a military force, but continually pleaded for restraint from the colonists. Some, including Nathaniel Bacon, refused to listen.

Bacon was a young man living on his plantation on the James River near "Curl's Wharf". He had been born into a prominent English family and had studied law and traveled throughout Europe before coming to Virginia with his wife shortly before this time. Bacon was respected for his abilities and character, was known to criticize things freely, and had broad support among the colonists.^[6] In the spring of 1676, one of the roving bands of Indians killed the overseer of Bacon's plantation.^[7] He demanded a commission to raise a militia and fight the Indians. After much political haggling, Bacon was granted the commission and led a campaign against some of the tribes on the northwestern frontier of the Virginia colony. Curles Neck Plantation (also known as Curles Neck Farm) is located between Virginia State Highway 5 and the north bank of the James River in the Varina district of Henrico County, Virginia. ... The James River at Cartersville The James River in the U.S. state of Virginia is 660 km (410 miles) long including its Jackson River source and drains a watershed comprising 27,019 km² (10,432 square miles). ...

Nathaniel Bacon disregarded the Governor's direct orders by seizing some friendly members of the Appomattox tribe for allegedly stealing corn. To compromise, Berkeley supplied the "Indians" with powder and ammunition and called the "Long Assembly" in March 1676. After returning to Jamestown, conflicts arose between Bacon and Berkeley and their followers. The so-called Baconites overpowered the Berkeley faction and the governor then fled to the Eastern Shore. Bacon's followers ravaged the capital for three months, destroying the symbols of the aristocratic government. Appomattox is a town located in Appomattox County, Virginia. ... The Eastern Shore of Virginia is on the Atlantic Coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia. ...

The Declaration of the People was established, echoing the Commonwealth of England, which had ended 16 years earlier. Bacon died on October 26, 1676, of the "bloody flux" or dysentery. The rebellion continued until several well-armed London-based merchant ships, loyal to Berkeley, arrived in Virginia. These were trading ships whose captains were not aware of the rebellion until they arrived. A fleet of the Royal Navy set sail for Virginia upon hearing of the rebellion but would not arrive until several months after the merchant ships. With these merchant ships, cannon and crews, Berkeley was able to put down the rebellion. In the aftermath, before the arrival of the Royal Navy, Berkeley tried and executed many rebels in what began to resemble a reign of terror. When the Royal Navy and Royal Commissioners arrived, Berkeley's revenge campaign was halted and mass pardons were issued. A significant number of rebels fled to the Albemarle Settlements of North Carolina. Motto: PAX QUÆRITUR BELLO (English: Peace is sought through war) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Language(s) English Government Republic Lord Protector  - 1649-1658 Oliver Cromwell Legislature Rump Parliament Barebones Parliament History  - Declaration of Commonwealth May 19, 1649  - Declaration of Breda April 4, 1660 Area 130,395... Dysentery (formerly known as flux or the bloody flux) is frequent, small-volume, severe diarrhea that shows blood in the feces along with intestinal cramping and tenesmus (painful straining to pass stool). ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

Causes

Nathaniel Bacon's Rebellion can be attributed to several causes. Economic problems such as declining tobacco prices, growing commercial competition from Maryland and the Carolinas, an increasingly restricted English market and the rising price of English manufactured goods (mercantilism) caused problems for the Virginians. There were many problems caused by weather; several natural disasters including hailstorms, floods, drought and hurricanes rocked the colony in one year. Virginia had also become a haven for Roundheads and Cavaliers during the English Civil War. Bacon's Rebellion was partly caused when the colonists launched a retaliatory attack but on the wrong tribe, the Susquehannocks, which caused large Indian raids in reprisal.^[8] The Carolinas is a collective term used in the United States to refer to the states of North and South Carolina together. ... A painting of a French seaport from 1638, at the height of mercantilism. ... Mount Pinatubo eruption, 1991 A natural disaster is according to or provided by nature. ... This article is about the precipitation. ... A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ... Fields outside Benambra, Victoria, Australia suffering from drought conditions A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... The Roundheads was the nickname given to the supporters of Parliament during the English Civil War. ... °°°°°°°°°°°→→→→→→→→→→→→§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ Prince Rupert, an archetypical cavalier For other uses, see Cavalier (disambiguation). ...

Berkeley ordered an investigation into the reasons for the attacks, during which he pleaded for restraint on all sides, but many Virginians claimed that Berkeley had monopolized the Indian trade and was making large profits from the Indians, and found his call for restraint insincere. Nathaniel Bacon ignored the Governor's orders and seized some friendly Appomattox natives on a charge of stealing corn. He was reprimanded and his fellow farmers were aggrieved at this seemingly one-sided action. In attempting to find a compromise, the Governor called what was known as the "Long Assembly" which declared war on all the "bad Indians" by setting up a defensive zone around the state.^[9] To do this taxes were levied, to the disgust of the frontiersmen, who were already overtaxed. There was an ill-feeling among the middle and lower classes that "favored traders" were allowed to trade with the Indians at the expense of regular traders who had dealt with the Indians for generations. Appomattox is a town located in Appomattox County, Virginia. ... This article is about the maize plant. ...

Bacon came out as leader of those most in opposition to the policies being pursued by Berkeley and he became the elected "general" of a group of local volunteer Indian fighters, having promised to bear the cost of the campaigns. During the campaign against the Indians, the governor nonetheless declared Bacon a rebel. This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Bacon and the House of Burgesses

Bacon and his men continued to attack the tribes. Because Bacon's forces outnumbered Berkeley's, the governor was forced to issue a pardon if Bacon would turn himself in and go to England for trial before King Charles II of England. Many of the members of the House of Burgesses were sympathetic to Bacon's cause, which led to his election as a member of the House. For the Breton religious festivals, see Pardon (ceremony). ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. ...

Bacon, by virtue of this election, attended the important Legislative Assembly of June 1676, where the assembly forced him to apologize for his previous actions. Berkeley immediately pardoned Bacon and allowed him to take his seat in the assembly. Bacon and his followers pushed for more than defense against the Indians by demanding major reforms to the colonial government. Matters came to a head during a debate on the Indian situation when Bacon and his men surrounded the capitol building in Jamestown and forced the Governor to give in to Bacon's demand for campaigns against the Indians without government interference. This concession was short-lived and when Berkeley reneged on the commission, the rebels took over Jamestown between 30 July (when Bacon issued his Declaration of the People of Virginia) and September 1676. A Legislative Assembly in some parts of the Commonwealth refers to a legislature, or a chamber of the legislature. ... The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third State Capital of Virginia. ... At Jamestown Settlement, replicas of Christopher Newports 3 ships are docked in the harbor. ... The Declaration of the People of Virginia (or simply Declaration of the People) was a list of demands issued by Nathaniel Bacon on July 30, 1676, in which he proclaims Virginias colonial governor corrupt and expresses his displeasure at the governments condescending, in his opinion, policy towards Native...

When Berkeley returned to recapture the town, aided by well-armed merchant ships, Bacon burned it. For a short time Nathaniel Bacon was in charge of Virginia but his success quickly ended. On 26 October 1676, Bacon died of the "Bloody Flux" and "Lousey Disease" (body lice). Because his body subsequently disappeared, rumors abounded that his soldiers burned his body. Some of the rebels were executed or had their property confiscated. After the Royal Navy and Royal Commissioners arrived, the rebels expressed their grievances and the government issued mass pardons. The commissioners realized that the majority of Virginians had supported the rebellion. For the colony of Virginia to survive, compromises had to be made. The Royal Commissioners relieved Berkeley of his governorship. He died in England on 9 July 1677. is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Effects of the Rebellion

Bacon's Rebellion was the result of discontent among backcountry farmers who had taken the law into their own hands against government corruption and oppression. Many Virginians were debtors. Borrowing on the strength of paper money was stopped by the British Government, leading to more discontent against the merchant classes. Many supporters of the rebellion were indentured servants and slaves, who were a majority of Virginia's population.

Historians have pointed out that one of the most important reforms made during Bacon's government was the recognition of the right to bear arms, so that the common man could defend himself from hostile Indians but also to oppose a despotic regime. After Berkeley's resumption of power, this right was one of the first he repealed. Miller suggests it was Bacon's Rebellion that may have served as one of the motives for later colonists' insistence for the right to bear arms. Historian Stephen Saunders Webb suggests that Bacon's Rebellion was a revolution, with roots in the English Civil War and with consequences including the American Revolutionary War. Not to be confused with Right to Arm Bears. ... This article is about military actions only. ...

It was largely the indentured servants, slaves and poor farmers (most of whom were former indentured servants or their descendants) who rebelled. Before the rebellion, African slaves were rare in Virginia, chiefly due to their expense and the lack of slave traders bringing Africans to Virginia. Africans were often brought as indentured servants, becoming free after serving their term of labor. Indentured servants from Europe continued to play a role in Virginia after the rebellion. Due to the demand for labor and a decrease in immigrants from England, African slave imports grew rapidly. New Virginia laws made slavery lifelong and a status inherited by one's children, creating a racially-based class system with Africans at the bottom. Even the poorest European indentured servants were above them. This broke the common interest between the poor English and Africans of Virginia which had existed during Bacon's Rebellion.

The rebellion strengthened the ties between Virginia south of the James River and the Albemarle Settlements in present-day North Carolina, while creating a long-lasting animosity between the two colonies' governments. The Albemarle region offered refuge for rebels in the aftermath. In the long term, North Carolina offered an alternative to colonists disenchanted with Virginia. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Largest metro area Charlotte metro area Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (900 km)  - % water 9. ...

Bacon's Castle

In Surry County, Virginia, the Allen family's circa 1665 brick home became known as "Bacon's Castle" because it was occupied as a fort or "castle" in 1676 during Bacon's Rebellion. Contrary to popular folklore, Nathaniel Bacon never lived at Bacon's Castle nor is even known to have occupied it. Nathaniel Bacon was the proprietor of Curles Neck Plantation in Henrico County, about 30 miles upriver on the northern bank of the James River. Surry County is a county located in the South Hampton Roads region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. ... Bacons Castle, Surry County, Virginia, Bacons Castle is located in Surry County, Virginia. ... Fortifications (Latin fortis, strong, and facere, to make) are military constructions designed for defensive warfare. ... For other uses, see Castle (disambiguation). ... Curles Neck Plantation (also known as Curles Neck Farm) is located between Virginia State Highway 5 and the north bank of the James River in the Varina district of Henrico County, Virginia. ... Henrico County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. ...

See also

• Queen Anne (Pamunkey chief)

Queen Anne (ca. ...

Footnotes

References

• Frantz, John B. Bacon's Rebellion: Prologue to the Revolution? (1969)
• Johnson, Paul. A History of the American People. (1997), 77-78
• Lovejoy, David S. "The Virginia Charter and Bacon's Rebellion," in The Glorious Revolution in America (1972), 32-52.
• Morgan, Edmund Sears. "Rebellion," in American Slavery, American Freedom:The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia (New York: Norton, 1975), 250-70.
• Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Back Bay Books (2004), pp. 62-67. ISBN 0316831115.
• Washburn, W. E. The Governor and the Rebel (1957, repr. 1967).
• Webb, Stephen Saunders, 1676 - The End of American Independence. (New York: 1984).
• Wertenbaker, T. J. Torchbearer of the Revolution (1940, rpt. 1965)
• Wertenbaker, T. J. Bacon's Rebellion, 1676 (1957)

External links

• Great Trading Path original source documents pertaining to Bacon's Rebellion
• The Widow Ranter; or, The History of Bacon in Virginia, by Aphra Behn presents a romanticized version of the story.