Synthesis of notes, ppt, and video

Can small events predetermine a much bigger event? The King of England ruled the colonies in America. The Parliament began to place many acts on the colonists that restricted what they could and couldn’t do. This angered the settlers and they thought they were being treated unfairly. They also claimed that their requests for Parliament to change come of these acts were ignored. The act that angered colonists the most was that they were being given high taxes. Colonists thought that they, and not Parliament, should decide how much taxes should be. They thought that they should also decide if they got taxed at all. There were also some incidents of the British and Americans fighting in the colonies. Some colonies decided to prepare for the war that they knew would eventually happen. They armed themselves with firearms and ammunition to protect themselves and their colony. These small events led to what would be known as the American Revolution. This period in history is when American colonists decided to fight back against the British and get more freedom that they thought they deserved. The American Revolution ultimately resulted in the American colonies breaking away from British rule to govern themselves. I think that past events predicted the start of the American Revolution.

“What do we mean by the Revolution? The war? That was no part of the Revolution; it was only an effect and consequence of it. The Revolution was in the minds of the people, and this was effected, from 1760-1775, in the course of fifteen years before a drop of blood was shed at Lexington” (J. Adams to T. Jefferson, 1815). John Adams is saying that the Revolution was only the outcome of the revolution that had been going on within the colonies for years. The tension between the British and the Americans had been slowing building up for years. British Parliament kept creating new acts that affected all of the colonies and that had bad results. The colonists’ anger finally spilled over when the British raised colonists’ taxes without first asking for their opinion. This was called the Stamp Act. Taxes were placed on items such as playing cards and newspapers. On May 23, 1774, the New York Committee sent a letter to Boston. The New York Committee is telling Boston that a committee of all the colonies must be created immediately. The committee will help to create American freedom and more independence from England. The suggestion comes from the recent strictures that British Parliament has placed upon them all. Samuel Adams stated in a letter, which the Boston Committee circulated around Boston, that the acts Parliament was forcing upon them was being used to separate the colonies. England didn’t want the colonies to join together to rebel against them. When the colonists decided to boycott all British goods, England decided that something must be done. British naval ships were placed in Boston Harbor. The ships blocked all trade coming to and from Massachusetts. Benjamin Franklin thought that this and that Stamp Act was wrong. He said that England made money from American trade, not taxes. It would be more beneficial to remove the Stamp Act and take the naval ships out of Boston ports. This is why he thought that the Stamp Act should be repealed. It was wrong for England to place such high taxes on colonists and to try and control their lives the way they did.

There were events in colonial history that led up to the American Revolution. British Parliament placed ludicrous acts on colonists that made them angry. Colonists said that they weren’t being treated fairly by Parliament and they shouldn’t have to pay taxes. In the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress, they state that they shouldn’t have to pay any taxes unless they say so. Colonists believe that they shouldn’t be controlled so much by England since they are not living there. They want their own rules and they have to own type of government, so they are able to rule themselves without Parliament’s help. Everything that England did to the colonists led up to the American Revolution. All the acts and regulations they created only added to the colonists’ anger that was already there. Colonies were always resentful of the way they were treated by England and one day they decided to do something about it. They fought back. They fought for their freedom and for their rights. Everyone knew the consequences but they didn’t care. Colonists just did what they knew was right.

Letter From New York Committee of Fifty-One in the Boston Committee of Correspondence; May 23, 1774

The Letter From New York Committee of Fifty-One in the Boston Committee of Correspondence; May 23, 1774 is a letter from the New York colonial committee to the Boston committee. The letter states that New York citizens have suggested forming a large committee of all the colonies. The suggestion comes from the recent strictures that British Parliament has placed upon them all. The committee will help to create American freedom and more independence from England. If the colonies unanimously approve the creation of the committee then it must be done immediately. All the problems that Parliament has created for them must be solved. New York is asking Boston to respond and to approve the making of the committee.

Circular Letter of the Boston Committee of Correspondence; May 13, 1774

The Circular Letter of the Boston Committee of Correspondence; May 13, 1774 is a letter that was circulated around Boston by Samuel Adams. In the letter, Adams states what the British government is trying to do to them and to all the colonies. He says that the acts that Parliament passed are being used to separate the colonists. This is so that they won’t keep the sense of liberty that they have been feeling and won’t want to separate from England. Adams says that they should stop trading with England so that Parliament will realize how much the country would suffer if they didn’t have the colonies in America. He says it will be a huge sacrifice but it will be worth it if they get what they want. England will give them what they want if they stop trading with them and boycott their goods. Colonists want freedom.

Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death Text Analysis

The writer of Give Me Liberty of Give Me Death is Patrick Henry. I'm not sure who the audience of this is. I know that it is to a government, I'm just not sure which one. I think that the audience is either the colonial government or the British government. The writer, Patrick Henry, represents the colonists' anger at the British government and the unfairness of the whole situation. Henry is arguing that everything that the British has done and how they are treating them isn't fair. He is saying that the colonies have done nothing wrong, but the British government is acting like they are criminals. Henry argues it by saying that he would rather die then not have freedom. He wants his freedom and will do anything to get it. Patrick Henry argues it by saying how the British have mishandled situations within the colony. He also states what will happen or can happen if the colonists don't fight back and fight for their freedom. Proof that he gives is by saying that the British government has ignored their petitions and requests for change. He thinks that since they are being ignored they should take action. He says if colonists back down or do nothing then they will be nothing more than slaves to England. Patrick Henry said, "give me liberty or give me death!" He'd rather die than let things continue the way they have.

Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress Text Analysis

The writers of the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress are the colonial Continental Congress. The audience is the people in the colonies. The Continental Congress wanted the people to know what happened with the British government. They wanted the people to know what had been changed and resolved and what hadn't. The writers represent the people of the colonies. The Continental Congress is stating what they have asked the British government to change, they're saying what has been resolved, and they're saying what still needs to be done. The Continental Congress is hoping that the things that still have to be change will happen in the near future. They want to be able to get what they want and need from the British government. Justification that the congress gives to legitimize their request is by saying that since their ancestors, the first original colonists, got the same rights as those still living in England then the current colonists should get those rights too. They also say that if the colonies have all or most of their requests met then both countries will be happier and be more prosperous.

Essay #1 Reflection

Throughout writing this essay about Bacon’s Rebellion, I’ve learned a lot about how my writing process and philosophy has changed. When I would write a paper or an essay before, my rough draft would essentially be my final draft with very little changes to it. I’ve learned how much better a piece of writing can become when you become when you write it over and over again. During each revision of the essay, I would always be adding or taking away something. The outline helped me more than I thought it would. My essay was basically my outline with more detail and commentary. Not only my writing process has changed, but my writing philosophy has changed as well. I still think that you need to use your heart when you’re writing, but I also think that you need to think before you write. You can’t just write what you’re feeling before you think about the consequences or impact those words may have. I’m happy with the end result of my essay and like the changes I made during my entire writing process as well as the positive impact it has had on my writing philosophy.

History is important. It has an impact on your life even if it doesn’t directly affect you. Bacon’s Rebellion is like that. It led to the American Revolution, which did affect all of us. It affected our nation’s history. If the American Revolution had never occurred then we might still be a British territory. America might still be ruled by England. Instead of a small section of states being called New England, the British government might’ve changed the name from America to New England. Americans might not have a president, a king and a royal family might instead rule us. We might not have all the freedoms and liberties that we enjoy today. All the parts of our democracy might not even exist the way it does now. The end of British rule in America meant the beginning of a new future for us.

Reflection of Bacon's Rebellion Essay

Recently, I wrote an essay on Bacon’s Rebellion. My topic was the effect that it had on Native Americans after it occurred. I used quotes to make my argument clearer. The sources where I got my information and quotes from were good resources and helped me write my essay. I used templates from my textbook, They Say/I Say, to make what “they” were saying clearer so that readers would understand the argument and conversation within the essay. In my background information, I stated what Bacon’s Rebellion was and how Native Americans were affected both before and during the revolt. In my concluding paragraph I stated how Bacon’s Rebellion affects society now and how it could be different had it not happened. I’m happy with the end result of my essay and like the changes I made during the entire writing process.

Resolutions of the Continental Congress October 19, 1765 Text Analysis

The writers of the Resolutions of the Continental Congress October 19, 1765 are the Continental Congress of the colonies in America. The audience is the King of England and his government. The writers represent the colonies in America and all the people living there. The Continental Congress is saying what colonists' rights should be, what they deserve since they are still British citizens, and what acts that were previously enacted by Parliament should be taken away. The Continental Congress to the British government says it by listing what colonists should receive and what should be taken away or changed. Justification that is being used to legitimize the request is by saying that even though they live somewhere else, they are still British subjects and deserve the same rights as those that are born in England. They are also saying that they are still their own kind of government and should decide what happens to the colonists.

Bacon's Rebellion Final Draft

The definition of a rebellion is the act of defying authority by a person or a group of people. This is what Bacon’s Rebellion was. It affected many people, colonists and Native Americans alike. The rebellion had disastrous consequences for both sides. No one really won, but everything was lost for one group of people. Colonists were fighting for their rights while Native American rights were lost. The consequences of Bacon’s Rebellion are visible throughout the generations.

Bacon’s Rebellion was a revolt by a group of poor settlers, former indentured servants, and slaves fighting against corruption in government and against Native Americans. “Bacon’s Rebellion was the result of discontent among back-country farmers against corruption in the government.” (Bacon’s Rebellion. wikipedia.com). A young settler named Nathaniel Bacon led the revolt in 1676 Virginia. While most of the people helping Bacon had very little money, Bacon himself wasn’t poor. He came from an elite family and received acres of land when he first arrived in Virginia. He was very well connected in the colony and his cousin was the governor. Although they were family, Berkeley and Bacon often had disagreements and didn’t get along very well. Governor William Berkeley had a great deal to do with Bacon’s Rebellion. Some would even say he was the cause of it.

Bacon repeatedly went to Berkeley to gain commission to fight against the Native Americans. Each time the governor refused. “Berkeley’s policy was to preserve the friendship of tributary Indians” (The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia, pg. 22). One implication of Governor Berkeley’s policy when it came to Native Americans is that he wanted peace with them so that it wouldn’t affect their trade agreements. This was the only reason he wouldn’t allow commissions for attacks against them. Native Americans would often attack and raid the colony. The colonists wanted to get back at them and harm them because of it. Colonists claimed that the government was favoring the Native Americans over them. It angered many colonists that their own governor refused to protect them against the Native Americans. They were not only fighting for policies about Native Americans to change. Colonists wanted lower taxes and all of the corruption within the government gone. Throughout all of this, Native Americans were treated harshly.

Before Bacon’s Rebellion even occurred, Native Americans were being misused and mishandled. Colonists wanted land from Native Americans. They took advantage of the Indians and did whatever they could to get it from them. Colonists would often misuse the friendships they had with natives so that they could get what they wanted. Colonial governments slowly became more controlling of native tribes and began to direct everything that they did. “Living on assigned lands at the will and direction of the provincial governments” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Although Puglisi does not say so directly, he apparently assumes that colonists wanted the Native Americans to live on as little land as possible so that they could have more of it. Some Native Americans still trusted the colonists so they listened when they were told where to live. Native Americans trusted settlers even as their land got smaller and smaller. Colonists used different methods to gain control of Native Americans.

Colonial governments sometimes made peace treaties with Native Americans to get something or to make natives do something. A peace treaty was an agreement between a native tribe and colonists agreeing that neither would attack nor in any way harm the other group. Colonists often used these if they wanted something. If they got what they wanted, the treaties were broken soon after. “The…peace treaty between colonists and natives…stripped Powhatans of their independence…lands…freedom of movement” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Although Puglisi does not say so directly, it seems that colonial governments tried to restrict what Native Americans did in any way they could. Native Americans were occasionally forced to work for the colonists. Most of the natives that were used were the ones that colonists still considered slightly trustworthy and who still trusted colonists. “Praying Indians…had served as spies, scouts, and soldiers” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 82). The tasks that colonists forced Indians to perform often put them in danger. It also made that tribe an enemy of other tribes who considered them traitors by working with colonists. While it appeared that colonists trusted certain native groups, tribes were rarely completed trusted by them.

Most colonists and their governments didn’t trust the Native Americans and were prejudiced against them. Colonists assumed that if one tribe acted one way then that’s how all Native Americans acted. Native Americans would sometimes be accused and persecuted for crimes that they didn’t commit. “Nathaniel Bacon disregarded the Governor’s direct orders by seizing some friendly Appomattox Indians for “allegedly” stealing corn” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Colonists would sometimes assume that if a tribe was in the area at the time the crime was committed then they were the ones that committed the crime. Common sense seems to indicate that Native Americans would be accused even if there was no evidence. Colonists often didn’t trust Native American tribes even if they were on good terms with them. Those tribes would still be looked upon with suspicion even if they had done nothing wrong. The tribes that were at times on good terms with the colonists were sometimes the ones that suffered the most. “In a dispute over the nonpayment of some items…”[it led to]“a retaliatory strike by the colonists, they attacked the wrong Indians” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Many people would assume that colonists would attack Native Americans if they didn’t like how they acted or if tribes did something that the settlers found disrespectful. Mistreatment of Native Americans became worse when Bacon’s Rebellion occurred.

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon and his followers attacked Jamestown and Native American tribes in the area. Their goal was to drive the governor out and to slaughter Native Americans. His forces spared no one. Native men, women, and children were brutally killed. “The natives suffered heavy losses, including their chief” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 77). They even attacked natives that they got along well with. “The English shot as many as they could…Col. Mason…ran amongst his Men, Crying out, ‘For the Lords sake Shoot no more, these are our friends the Susque-hanoughs” (Document #3, Thomas Matthews, The Beginning, Progress, and Conclusion of Bacon’s Rebellion, 1675-1676). They attacked without commission from the government, which was part of the reason why they attacked Jamestown in the first place. Native Americans were treated viciously and the attacks hardly lightened up even when Bacon died suddenly. Bacon’s death stopped the rebellion and allowed the government to take control again. Governor Berkeley may have taken back Jamestown but the treatment of Native Americans didn’t change at all.

When it comes to the topic of Bacon’s Rebellion, most of us will readily agree that it was an act of civil disobedience against a corrupt government and against Native Americans who were despised. Where this agreement ends, however, is on the question of whether the treatment of the Native Americans was justified or not. Whereas some are convinced that they deserved what happened to them, others maintain that what happened to them wasn’t right or fair. While some people think that Native Americans deserved what happened to them, Native Americans suffered at Virginian colonists’ hands after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Native Americans have always been treated severely, but after Bacon’s Rebellion it reached an all-time high. Before the rebellion occurred colonists would limit the amount of land natives could live on. This was so that colonists could have more land and the natives would be as far away from then as possible. After the rebellion colonial governments began to limit the natives’ land even more. “The Indians were sent to assigned towns, placed under the supervision of militia officers or selectmen…” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 83). Native Americans were placed in towns and settlements, by colonial governments, which separated them from the colonists. The government claimed it was for “security” but it didn’t make a difference, safety wise. Neither colonists nor Native Americans were any safer after natives were placed in separate towns. After Bacon’s Rebellion colonists started using the small land that Native Americans were forced to live on for their own purposes. “Some military leaders suggested fortifying the Praying Towns ‘as a wall of defence’ for the colony…that…strategy would have protected more populous towns from attack” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Colonists used towns where natives were living as a defense blockage in case they were ever attacked by outside forces. When this planned was carried out, many Native Americans were killed. Colonists were willing to sacrifice natives, even the ones they got along with, as long as it meant they were safe. Colonial governments’ control of Native Americans became even harsher after Bacon’s Rebellion occurred.

After the rebellion colonial governments became more controlling over what Native Americans did for them. Colonists would force tribes to provide them with warriors for their militia. Many of the tribes that were asked had suffered heavy losses at colonists’ hands. “Tottopottomoy’s widow…was…pressed on the issue of supplying men to support the militia” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 78). It is unbelievable to think that colonists would even consider doing this when they had just slaughtered so many people from the tribes they were asking. The colonial government thought that it wasn’t enough for Native Americans to be living in separate towns. They thought natives should be moved somewhere else completely. “‘For their own & country’s security.’ the Praying Indians should be moved to islands in Boston Harbor” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 80). Colonists wanted to move the Native Americans away from the land that they had known their entire lives. “Torn from their livelihoods and left with no means to provide for themselves” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 81). Colonists left the natives on an island where they had no food or shelter. They were unfamiliar with the new landscape so they didn’t know where or if they could hunt for food. While the Native Americans were living in those islands, they almost starved. Even though the colonists forced the Native Americans to live somewhere else completely and almost starved because of it, the natives still acted kind and humble. They never complained about anything that was happening to them. They just accepted it. The way that colonists were treating the Native Americans was inhumane.

While attacks on Native Americans by colonists were common before the rebellion, after the revolt occurred they became more harsh and frequent. After Bacon’s Rebellion, colonists found new ways to attack the Native Americans. “A series of unfounded indictments against Praying Indians by their white neighbors” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Colonists were accusing and putting natives on trial for crimes that they did not commit. Most of the accusations had no evidence that a Native American had anything to do with it at all. Native Americans were suffering for mistakes made in the past. Mistakes that they were often encouraged to make by the colonial government. “Governor Berkeley’s policy…encouraging the Indians to terrorize the frontier” (http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476). Before Bacon’s Rebellion took place, Governor Berkeley would encourage attacks on the colony by Native Americans. Native Americans were suffering for something that wasn’t entirely their fault. Colonists also used different methods to attack the natives. “Colonists added racist words of attack to the weapons of war” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). They began to attack Native Americans not only physically, but also verbally and psychologically as well. Colonists made fun of Native Americans and demeaned them using racial slanders. Native Americans suffered more than ever after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Nathaniel Bacon isn’t the big hero that many people think he is. He manipulated and used countless people just to get what he wanted. While Bacon made it seem like all he wanted to do was help the oppressed settlers, he also had ulterior motives. “Bacon…probably cared more about fighting Indians than about helping the poor” (Howard Zinn, pg. 37). Bacon hated Native Americans and he twisted the colonists’ anger so that he could get the chance to kill them. Bacon is the hero of nothing. He saved no one and helped no one. Nothing for the colonists changed after the rebellion. The taxes didn’t change and some Native American tribes continued to attack them. It almost seems like they fought for nothing.

My sources for this essay are very credible. Some of my information were from the handouts I received in class. My other information came from a reliable database. Other information I received was from the Internet. Information from my sources are logical and free of fallacies.

Bacon’s Rebellion had a disastrous effect for all Native Americans after it occurred. The rebellion led to assumptions made about Indians that weren’t true. It also cast an aura of suspicion around all Native Americans, even the ones that were previously considered trustworthy by colonists. Men, women, and children were slaughtered during the rebellion and the ones that remained suffered greatly because of the colonists. They were forced off their land, forced to work, and almost starved because of the colonial government. One person isn’t to blame for what happened. It is the colony and their governments’ fault. So many people suffered because of what they did. Bacon's Rebellion also had implications on today's society as well. “Historians considered the Virginia Rebellion of 1676 to be the first stirring of revolutionary sentiment in America, which culminated in the American Revolution” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). The American Revolution was a major rebellion that occurred after Bacon's Rebellion. Bacon's Rebellion led to a chain of rebellions that affected society then and now. If the American Revolution had never occurred our world would be a very different place than it is now. If the English colonists had never fought against the British government, we might still be under their control. The Declaration of Independence might never have been created and our country wouldn't be the great nation it is today. We might not have been able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have now. Further research needs to be done about what else colonists forced natives to do. I want to know what else happened besides Native Americans being forced to live on separate land and a completely new area. It needs to be made clearer that Native Americans were the real victims of the rebellion, not unhappy colonists. Native Americans did nothing wrong, but the colonists killed and terrorized them anyway.

Works Cited:

1. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm,
October 15, 2008
2. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.wikipedia.com, October 2, 2008
3. Howard Zinn. “Who Were the Colonists?.” A Young People’s History of the
United States Columbus to the Spanish-American War Vol. 1: pg. 37
4. Michael J. Puglisi. ““Whether They Be Friends or Foes:” The Roles and Reactions of Tributary Native Groups Caught in Colonial Conflicts”.
5. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Lester J. Cappon
Reviewed Title(s): Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon's Rebellion and Its Leader.
Reviewed Authors(s): Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker
Source: The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 7, No. 2 (May, 1941), pp. 245-246
Publisher(s): Southern Historical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476
6. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Susie M. Ames
Reviewed Title(s): The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia
Reviewed Authors(s): Wilcomb E. Washburn
Source: The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 45, No. 1 (Jun., 1958), pp. 122-123
Publisher(s): Organization of American Historians
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1886705



Rhetorical Analysis of http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm:

The title of the article, on the website http://www.globalsecurity.org/military
/ops/bacon.htm, is Bacon’s Rebellion. I’m not sure who the author(s) is because it is not stated anywhere. I would infer that the author(s) is someone who knows about Bacon’s Rebellion. I don’t mean a history professor or someone who is an expert on the rebellion. I think it is someone who has learned and studied the causes and effects of Bacon’s Rebellion. The audience is anyone who wants to know what Bacon’s Rebellion was and find out information about it. The author(s) uses words and vocabulary that makes this article easy for any person to understand. The vocabulary is relatively simple making it even easier to read. The purpose of this was to explain what Bacon’s Rebellion was, what the cause was, and who was involved. The main idea was that Bacon’s Rebellion was less about a fight against corrupted leaders than about two people wanting all the power. The author(s) was very persuasive in this article. It seems that the author(s) is credible because the details of the rebellion that the article gave is accurate, fair, and unbiased. The emotion that is shown is how Governor Berkeley and Nathaniel Bacon dealt with the other person. It is logical because the author(s) explanation is clear and examples are given to explain why something was said or done.

Bacon's Rebellion Rough Draft Essay 5

What was Bacon’s Rebellion? The definition of a rebellion is the act of defying authority by a person or a group of people. This is what Bacon’s Rebellion was. It affected many people, colonists and Native Americans alike. The rebellion had disastrous consequences for both sides. No one really won, but everything was lost for one group of people. Colonists were fighting for their rights while Native American rights were lost. The consequences of Bacon’s Rebellion are visible throughout the generations.

Bacon’s Rebellion was a revolt by a group of poor settlers, former indentured servants, and slaves fighting against corruption in government and against Native Americans. “Bacon’s Rebellion was the result of discontent among back-country farmers against corruption in the government.” (Bacon’s Rebellion. wikipedia.com). A young settler named Nathaniel Bacon led the revolt in 1676 Virginia. While most of the people helping Bacon had very little money, Bacon himself wasn’t poor. He came from an elite family and received acres of land when he first arrived in Virginia. He was very well connected in the colony and his cousin was the governor. Although they were family, Berkeley and Bacon often had disagreements and didn’t get along very well. Governor William Berkeley had a great deal to do with Bacon’s Rebellion. Some would even say he was the cause of it.

Bacon repeatedly went to Berkeley to gain commission to fight against the Native Americans. Each time the governor refused. “Berkeley’s policy was to preserve the friendship of tributary Indians” (The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia, pg. 22). One implication of Governor Berkeley’s policy when it came to Native Americans is that he wanted peace with them so that it wouldn’t affect their trade agreements. This was the only reason he wouldn’t allow commissions for attacks against them. Native Americans would often attack and raid the colony. Colonists claimed that the government was favoring the Native Americans over them. It angered many colonists that their own governor refused to protect them against the Native Americans. They were not only fighting for policies about Native Americans to change. Colonists wanted lower taxes and all of the corruption within the government gone. Throughout all of this, Native Americans were treated harshly.

Before Bacon’s Rebellion even occurred, Native Americans were being misused and mishandled. Colonists wanted land from Native Americans. They took advantage of the Indians and did whatever they could to get it from them. Colonial governments slowly became more controlling of native tribes and began to direct everything that they did. “Living on assigned lands at the will and direction of the provincial governments” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Although Puglisi does not say so directly, he apparently assumes that colonists wanted the Native Americans to live on as little land as possible so that they could have more of it. Some Native Americans still trusted the colonists so they listened when they were told where to live. Native Americans trusted settlers even as their land got smaller and smaller. Colonists used different methods to gain control of Native Americans.

Colonial governments sometimes made peace treaties with Native Americans to get something or to make natives do something. A peace treaty was an agreement between a native tribe and colonists agreeing that neither would attack nor in any way harm the other group. Colonists often used these if they wanted something. If they got what they wanted, the treaties were broken soon after. “The…peace treaty between colonists and natives…stripped Powhatans of their independence…lands…freedom of movement” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Although Puglisi does not say so directly, it seems that colonial governments tried to restrict what Native Americans did in any way they could. Native Americans were occasionally forced to work for the colonists. Most of the natives that were used were the ones that colonists still considered slightly trustworthy and who still trusted colonists. “Praying Indians…had served as spies, scouts, and soldiers” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 82). The tasks that colonists forced Indians to perform often put them in danger. It also made that tribe an enemy of other tribes who considered them traitors by working with colonists. While it appeared that colonists trusted certain native groups, tribes were rarely completed trusted by them.

Most colonists and their governments didn’t trust the Native Americans and were prejudiced against them. Colonists assumed that if one tribe acted one way then that’s how all Native Americans acted. Native Americans would sometimes be accused and persecuted for crimes that they didn’t commit. “Nathaniel Bacon disregarded the Governor’s direct orders by seizing some friendly Appomattox Indians for “allegedly” stealing corn” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Colonists would sometimes assume that if a tribe was in the area at the time the crime was committed then they were the ones that committed the crime. Common sense seems to indicate that Native Americans would be accused even if there was no evidence. Colonists often didn’t trust Native American tribes even if they were on good terms with them. Those tribes would still be looked upon with suspicion even if they had done nothing wrong. The tribes that were at times on good terms with the colonists were somtimes the ones that suffered the most. “In a dispute over the nonpayment of some items…”[it led to]“a retaliatory strike by the colonists, they attacked the wrong Indians” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Many people would assume that colonists would attack Native Americans if they didn’t like how they acted or if tribes did something that the settlers found disrespectful. Mistreatment of Native Americans became worse when Bacon’s Rebellion occurred.

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon and his followers attacked Jamestown and Native American tribes in the area. Their goal was to drive the governor out and to slaughter Native Americans. His forces spared no one. Native men, women, and children were brutally killed. “The natives suffered heavy losses, including their chief” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 77). They even attacked natives that they got along well with. “The English shot as many as they could…Col. Mason…ran amongst his Men, Crying out, ‘For the Lords sake Shoot no more, these are our friends the Susque-hanoughs” (Document #3, Thomas Matthews, The Beginning, Progress, and Conclusion of Bacon’s Rebellion, 1675-1676). They attacked without commission from the government, which was part of the reason why they attacked Jamestown in the first place. Native Americans were treated viciously and the attacks hardly lightened up even when Bacon died suddenly. Bacon’s death stopped the rebellion and allowed the government to take control again. Governor Berkeley may have taken back Jamestown but the treatment of Native Americans didn’t change at all.

When it comes to the topic of Bacon’s Rebellion, most of us will readily agree that it was an act of civil disobedience against a corrupt government and against Native Americans who were despised. Where this agreement ends, however, is on the question of whether the treatment of the Native Americans was justified or not. Whereas some are convinced that they deserved what happened to them, others maintain that what happened to them wasn’t right or fair. While some people think that Native Americans deserved what happened to them, Native Americans suffered at Virginian colonists’ hands after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Native Americans have always been treated severely, but after Bacon’s Rebellion it reached an all-time high. Before the rebellion occurred colonists would limit the amount of land natives could live on. This was so that colonists could have more land and the natives would be as far away from then as possible. After the rebellion colonial governments began to limit the natives’ land even more. “The Indians were sent to assigned towns, placed under the supervision of militia officers or selectmen…” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 83). Native Americans were placed in towns and settlements, by colonial governments, which separated them from the colonists. The government claimed it was for “security” but it didn’t make a difference, safety wise. After Bacon’s Rebellion colonists started using the small land that Native Americans were forced to live on for their own purposes. “Some military leaders suggested fortifying the Praying Towns ‘as a wall of defence’ for the colony…that…strategy would have protected more populous towns from attack” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Towns were natives were living were used by colonists as a defense blockage in case they were ever attacked by outside forces. Colonists were willing to sacrifice natives, even the ones they got along with, as long as it meant they were safe.

After the rebellion colonial governments became more controlling over what Native Americans did for them. Colonists would force tribes to provide them with warriors for their militia. Many of the tribes that were asked had suffered heavy losses at colonists’ hands. “Tottopottomoy’s widow…was…pressed on the issue of supplying men to support the militia” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 78). It is unbelievable to think that colonists would even consider doing this when they had just slaughtered so many people from the tribes they were asking. The colonial government thought that it wasn’t enough for Native Americans to be living in separate towns. They thought natives should be moved somewhere else completely. “‘For their own & country’s security.’ the Praying Indians should be moved to islands in Boston Harbor” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 80). Colonists wanted to move the Native Americans away from the land that they had known their entire lives. “Torn from their livelihoods and left with no means to provide for themselves” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 81). Colonists left the natives on an island where they had no food or shelter. They were unfamiliar with the new landscape so they didn’t know where or if they could hunt for food. While the Native Americans were living in those islands, they almost starved. Even though the colonists forced the Native Americans to live somewhere else completely and almost starved because of it, the natives still acted kind and humble. They never complained about anything that was happening to them. They just accepted it. The way that colonists were treating the Native Americans was inhumane.

While attacks on Native Americans by colonists were common before the rebellion, after the revolt occurred they became more harsh and frequent. After Bacon’s Rebellion, colonists found new ways to attack the Native Americans. “A series of unfounded indictments against Praying Indians by their white neighbors” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Colonists were accusing and putting natives on trial for crimes that they did not commit. Most of the accusations had no evidence that a Native American had anything to do with it at all. Native Americans were suffering for mistakes made in the past. Mistakes that they were often encouraged to make by the colonial government. “Governor Berkeley’s policy…encouraging the Indians to terrorize the frontier” (http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476). Before Bacon’s Rebellion took place, Governor Berkeley would encourage attacks on the colony by Native Americans. Native Americans were suffering for something that wasn’t entirely their fault. Colonists also used different methods to attack the natives. “Colonists added racist words of attack to the weapons of war” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). They began to attack Native Americans not only physically, but also verbally and psychologically as well. Native Americans suffered more than ever after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Nathaniel Bacon isn’t the big hero that many people think he is. He manipulated and used countless people just to get what he wanted. While Bacon made it seem like all he wanted to do was help the oppressed settlers, he also had ulterior motives. “Bacon…probably cared more about fighting Indians than about helping the poor” (Howard Zinn, pg. 37). Bacon hated Native Americans and he twisted the colonists’ anger so that he could get the chance to kill them. Bacon is the hero of nothing. He saved no one and helped no one. Nothing for the colonists changed after the rebellion. The taxes didn’t change and some Native American tribes continued to attack them. It almost seems like they fought for nothing.

My sources for this essay are very credible. Some of my information were from the handouts I received in class. My other information came from a reliable database. Other information I received was from the Internet. Information from my sources are logical and free of fallacies.

Bacon’s Rebellion had a disastrous effect for all Native Americans after it occurred. The rebellion led to assumptions made about Indians that weren’t true. It also cast an aura of suspicion around all Native Americans, even the ones that were previously considered trustworthy by colonists. Men, women, and children were slaughtered during the rebellion and the ones that remained suffered greatly because of the colonists. They were forced off their land, forced to work, and almost starved because of the colonial government. One person isn’t to blame for what happened. It is the colony and their governments’ fault. So many people suffered because of what they did. Bacon's Rebellion also had implications on today's society as well. “Historians considered the Virginia Rebellion of 1676 to be the first stirring of revolutionary sentiment in America, which culminated in the American Revolution” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). The American Revolution was a major rebellion that occurred after Bacon's Rebellion. Bacon's Rebellion led to a chain of rebellions that affected society then and now. If the American Revolution had never occurred our world would be a very different place than it is now. If the English colonists had never fought against the British government, we might still be under their control. The Declaration of Independence might never have been created and our country wouldn't be the great nation it is today. We might not have been able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have now. Further research needs to be done about what else colonists forced natives to do. I want to know what else happened besides Native Americans being forced to live on separate land and a completely new area. It needs to be made clearer that Native Americans were the real victims of the rebellion, not unhappy colonists. Native Americans did nothing wrong, but the colonists killed and terrorized them anyway.

Works Cited:

1. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm,
October 15, 2008
2. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.wikipedia.com, October 2, 2008
3. Howard Zinn. “Who Were the Colonists?.” A Young People’s History of the
United States Columbus to the Spanish-American War Vol. 1: pg. 37
4. Michael J. Puglisi. ““Whether They Be Friends or Foes:” The Roles and Reactions of Tributary Native Groups Caught in Colonial Conflicts”.
5. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Lester J. Cappon
Reviewed Title(s): Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon's Rebellion and Its Leader.
Reviewed Authors(s): Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker
Source: The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 7, No. 2 (May, 1941), pp. 245-246
Publisher(s): Southern Historical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476
6. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Susie M. Ames
Reviewed Title(s): The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia
Reviewed Authors(s): Wilcomb E. Washburn
Source: The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 45, No. 1 (Jun., 1958), pp. 122-123
Publisher(s): Organization of American Historians
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1886705

Bacon's Rebellion Rough Draft Essay 4

What was Bacon’s Rebellion? The definition of a rebellion is the act of defying authority by a person or a group of people. This is what Bacon’s Rebellion was. It affected many people, colonists and Native Americans alike. The rebellion had disastrous consequences for both sides. No one really won, but everything was lost for one group of people. Colonists were fighting for their rights while Native American rights were lost. The consequences of Bacon’s Rebellion are visible throughout the generations.

Bacon’s Rebellion was a revolt by a group of poor settlers, former indentured servants, and slaves fighting against corruption in government and Native Americans. “Bacon’s Rebellion was the result of discontent among back-country farmers against corruption in the government.” (Bacon’s Rebellion. wikipedia.com). A young settler named Nathaniel Bacon led the revolt in 1676 Virginia. While most of the people helping Bacon had very little money, Bacon himself wasn’t poor. He came from an elite family and received acres of land when he first arrived in Virginia. He was very well connected in the colony and his cousin was the governor. Although they were family, Berkeley and Bacon often had disagreements and didn’t get along very well. Governor William Berkeley had a great deal to do with Bacon’s Rebellion. Some would even say he was the cause of it.

Bacon repeatedly went to Berkeley to gain commission to fight against the Native Americans. Each time the governor refused. “Berkeley’s policy was to preserve the friendship of tributary Indians” (The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia, pg. 22). One implication of Governor Berkeley’s policy when it came to Native Americans is that he wanted peace with them so that it wouldn’t affect trade their trade agreements. This was the only reason he wouldn’t allow commissions for attacks against them. Native Americans would often attack and raid the colony. Colonists claimed that the government was favoring the Native Americans over them. It angered many colonists that their own governor refused to protect them against the Native Americans. They were not only fighting for policies about Native Americans to change. They also wanted lower taxes and all of corruption within the government gone. Throughout all of this, Native Americans were treated harshly.

Before Bacon’s Rebellion even occurred, Native Americans were being misused and mishandled. Colonists wanted land from Native Americans. They took advantage of the Indians and did whatever they could to get it from them. Colonial governments slowly became more controlling of native tribes and began to direct everything that they did. “Living on assigned lands at the will and direction of the provincial governments” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Although Puglisi does not say so directly, he apparently assumes that colonists wanted the Native Americans to live on as little land as possible so that they could have more of it. Some Native Americans still trusted the colonists so they listened when they were told where to live. Native Americans trusted settlers even as their land got smaller and smaller. Colonists used different methods to gain control of Native Americans.

Colonial governments sometimes made peace treaties with Native Americans to get something or to make natives do something. A peace treaty was an agreement between a native tribe and colonists agreeing that neither would attack nor in any way harm the other group. Colonists often used these if they wanted something. If they got what they wanted, the treaties were broken soon after. “The…peace treaty between colonists and natives…stripped Powhatans of their independence…lands…freedom of movement” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Although Puglisi does not say so directly, it seems that colonial governments tried to restrict what Native Americans did in any way they could. Native Americans were occasionally forced to work for the colonists. Most of the natives that were used were the ones that colonists still considered trustworthy and who still trusted colonists. “Praying Indians…had served as spies, scouts, and soldiers” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 82). The tasks that colonists forced Indians to perform often put them in danger. It also made that tribe an enemy of other tribes who considered them traitors by working with colonists. While it appeared that colonists trusted certain native groups, tribes were rarely completed trusted by them.

Most colonists and their governments didn’t trust the Native Americans and were prejudiced against them. Colonists assumed that if one tribe acted one way then that’s how all Native Americans acted. Native Americans would sometimes be accused and persecuted for crimes that they didn’t commit. “Nathaniel Bacon disregarded the Governor’s direct orders by seizing some friendly Appomattox Indians for “allegedly” stealing corn” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Colonists would sometimes assume that if a tribe was in the area at the time the crime was committed then they were the ones that committed the crime. Common sense seems to indicate that Native Americans would be accused even if there was no evidence. Colonists often didn’t trust Native American tribes even if they were on good terms with them. Those tribes would still be looked upon with suspicion even if they had done nothing wrong. The tribes that were at times on good terms with the colonists were at times the ones that suffered the most. “In a dispute over the nonpayment of some items…”[it led to]“a retaliatory strike by the colonists, they attacked the wrong Indians” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Many people would assume that colonists would attack Native Americans if they didn’t like how they acted or if tribes did something that the settlers found disrespectful. Mistreatment of Native Americans became worse when Bacon’s Rebellion occurred.

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon and his followers attacked Jamestown and Native American tribes in the area. Their goal was to drive the governor out and to slaughter the Native Americans. His forces spared no one. Native men, women, and children were brutally killed. “The native suffered heavy losses, including their chief” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 77). They even attacked natives that they got along well with. “The English shot as many as they could…Col. Mason…ran amongst his Men, Crying out, ‘For the Lords sake Shoot no more, these are our friends the Susque-hanoughs” (Document #3, Thomas Matthews, The Beginning, Progress, and Conclusion of Bacon’s Rebellion, 1675-1676). They attacked without commission from the government, which was part of the reason why they attacked Jamestown in the first place. Native Americans were treated viciously and hardly lightened up even when Bacon died suddenly. Bacon’s death stopped the rebellion and allowed the government to take control again. Governor Berkeley may have taken back Jamestown but the treatment of Native Americans didn’t change at all.

When it comes to the topic of Bacon’s Rebellion, most of us will readily agree that it was an act of civil disobedience against a corrupt government and Native Americans who were despised. Where this agreement ends, however, is on the question of whether the treatment of the Native Americans was justified or not. Whereas some are convinced that they deserved what happened to them, others maintain that what happened to them wasn’t right or fair. While some people think that Native Americans deserved what happened to them, Native Americans suffered at Virginian colonists’ hands after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Native Americans have always been treated severely, but after Bacon’s Rebellion it reached an all-time high. Before the rebellion occurred colonists would limit the amount of land natives could live on. This was so that colonists could have more land and the natives would be as far away from then as possible. After the rebellion colonial governments began to limit the natives’ land even more. “The Indians were sent to assigned towns, placed under the supervision of militia officers or selectmen…” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 83). Native Americans were placed in towns and settlements, by colonial governments, which separated them from the colonists. The government claimed it was for “security” but it didn’t make a difference, safety wise. After Bacon’s Rebellion colonists started using the small land that Native Americans were forced to live on for their own purposes. “Some military leaders suggested fortifying the Praying Towns ‘as a wall of defence’ for the colony…that…strategy would have protected more populous towns from attack” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Towns were natives were living were used by colonists as a defense blockage in case they were ever attacked by outside forces. Colonists were willing to sacrifice natives, even the ones they got along with, as long as it meant they were safe.

After the rebellion colonial governments became more controlling over what Native Americans did for them. Colonists would force tribes to provide them with warriors for their militia. Many of the tribes that were asked had suffered heavy losses at colonists’ hands. “Tottopottomoy’s widow…was…pressed on the issue of supplying men to support the militia” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 78). It is unbelievable to think that colonists would even consider doing this when they had just slaughtered so many people from the tribes they were asking. The colonial government thought that it wasn’t enough for Native Americans to be living in separate towns. They thought natives should be moved somewhere else completely. “‘For their own & country’s security.’ the Praying Indians should be moved to islands in Boston Harbor” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 80). Colonists wanted to move the Native Americans away from the land that they had known their entire lives. “Torn from their livelihoods and left with no means to provide for themselves” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 81). Colonists left the natives on an island where they had no food or shelter. They were unfamiliar with the new landscape so they didn’t know where or if they could hunt for food. While the Native Americans were living in those islands, they almost starved. Even though the colonists forced the Native Americans to live somewhere else completely and almost starved because of it, the natives still acted kind and humble. They never complained about anything that was happening to them. They just accepted it. The way that colonists were treating the Native Americans was inhumane.

While attacks on Native Americans by colonists were common before the rebellion, after the rebellion they became more harsh and frequent. After Bacon’s Rebellion, colonists found new ways to attack the Native Americans. “A series of unfounded indictments against Praying Indians by their white neighbors” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Colonists were accusing and putting natives on trial for crimes that they did not commit. Most of the accusations had no evidence that a Native American had anything to do with it at all. Native Americans were suffering for mistakes made in the past. Mistakes they were often encouraged to make by the colonial government. “Governor Berkeley’s policy…encouraging the Indians to terrorize the frontier” (http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476). Before Bacon’s Rebellion took place, Governor Berkeley would encourage attacks on the colony by Native Americans. Native Americans were suffering for something that wasn’t entirely their fault. Colonists also used different methods to attack the natives. “Colonists added racist words of attack to the weapons of war” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). They began to attack Native Americans not only physically, but also verbally and psychologically as well. Native Americans suffered more than ever after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Nathaniel Bacon isn’t the big hero that many people think he is. He manipulated and used countless people just to get what he wanted. While Bacon made it seem like all he wanted to do was help the oppressed settlers, he also had ulterior motives. “Bacon…probably cared more about fighting Indians than about helping the poor” (Howard Zinn, pg. 37). Bacon hated Native Americans and he twisted the colonists’ anger so that he could get the chance to kill them. Bacon is the hero of nothing. He saved no one and helped no one. Nothing for the colonists changed after the rebellion. The taxes didn’t change and some Native American tribes continued to attack them. It almost seems like they fought for nothing.

My sources for this essay are very credible. Some of my information was from the handouts I received in class. My other information came from a reliable database. Other information I received was from the Internet. Information from my sources are logical and free of fallacies.

Bacon’s Rebellion had a disastrous effect for all Native Americans after it occurred. The rebellion led to assumptions made about Indians that weren’t true. It also cast an aura of suspicion around all Native Americans, even the ones that were previously considered trustworthy by colonists. Men, women, and children were slaughtered during the rebellion and the ones that remained suffered greatly because of the colonists. They were forced off their land, forced to work, and almost starved because of the colonial government. One person isn’t to blame for what happened. It is the colony and their governments’ fault. So many people suffered because of what they did. Bacon's Rebellion also had implications on today's society as well. “Historians considered the Virginia Rebellion of 1676 to be the first stirring of revolutionary sentiment in America, which culminated in the American Revolution” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). The American Revolution was a major rebellion that occurred after Bacon's Rebellion. Bacon's Rebellion led to a chain of rebellions that affected society then and now. If the American Revolution had never occurred our world would be a very different place than it is now. If the English colonists had never fought against the British government, we might still be under their control. The Declaration of Independence might never have been created and our country wouldn't be the great nation it is today. We might not have been able to enjoy all the freedoms that we have in the present. Further research needs to be done about what else colonists forced natives to do. I want to know what else happened besides Native Americans being forced to live on separate land and a completely new area. It needs to be made clearer that Native Americans were the real victims of the rebellion, not unhappy colonists. Native Americans did nothing wrong, but the colonists killed and terrorized them anyway.

Works Cited:

1. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm,
October 15, 2008
2. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.wikipedia.com, October 2, 2008
3. Howard Zinn. “Who Were the Colonists?.” A Young People’s History of the
United States Columbus to the Spanish-American War Vol. 1: pg. 37
4. Michael J. Puglisi. ““Whether They Be Friends or Foes:” The Roles and Reactions of Tributary Native Groups Caught in Colonial Conflicts”.
5. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Lester J. Cappon
Reviewed Title(s): Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon's Rebellion and Its Leader.
Reviewed Authors(s): Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker
Source: The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 7, No. 2 (May, 1941), pp. 245-246
Publisher(s): Southern Historical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476
6. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Susie M. Ames
Reviewed Title(s): The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia
Reviewed Authors(s): Wilcomb E. Washburn
Source: The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 45, No. 1 (Jun., 1958), pp. 122-123
Publisher(s): Organization of American Historians
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1886705

Bacon's Rebellion Rough Draft Essay 3

What was Bacon’s Rebellion? The definition of a rebellion is the act of defying authority by a person or a group of people. This is what Bacon’s Rebellion was. It affected many people, colonists and Native Americans alike. The rebellion had disastrous consequences for both sides. No one really won, but everything was lost for one group of people. Colonists were fighting for their rights while Native American rights were lost. The consequences of Bacon’s Rebellion are visible throughout the generations.

Bacon’s Rebellion was a revolt by poor settlers, former indentured servants, and slaves against corruption in government and Native Americans. “Bacon’s Rebellion was the result of discontent among back-country farmers against corruption in the government.” (Bacon’s Rebellion. wikipedia.com). A young settler named Nathaniel Bacon led the revolt in 1676 Virginia. Helping Bacon in the uprising was an assortment of poor settlers, former indentured servants, and slaves. Bacon himself wasn’t poor. He came from an elite family and received acres of land when he first arrived in Virginia. He was very well connected in the colony and his cousin was the governor. Governor William Berkeley had a great deal to do with Bacon’s Rebellion. Some would even say he was the cause of it.

Bacon repeatedly went to Berkeley to gain commission to fight against the Native Americans. Each time the governor refused. “Berkeley’s policy was to preserve the friendship of tributary Indians” (The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia, pg. 22). One implication of Governor Berkeley’s treatment of Native Americans is that he wanted peace with them so that it wouldn’t affect trade their trade agreements. This was the only reason he wouldn’t allow commissions for attacks against them. Native Americans would often attack and raid the colony. Colonists claimed that the government was favoring the Native Americans over them. It angered many colonists that their own governor refused to protect them against the Native Americans. They were not only fighting for policies about Native Americans to change. They also wanted lower taxes and all of corruption within the government gone. Throughout all of this, Native Americans were treated harshly.

Before Bacon’s Rebellion even occurred, Native Americans were being misused and mishandled. Colonists wanted land from Native Americans. They took advantage of the Indians and did whatever they could to get it from them. Colonial governments slowly became more controlling of native tribes and began to direct everything that they did. “Living on assigned lands at the will and direction of the provincial governments” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Although Puglisi does not say so directly, he apparently assumes that colonists wanted the Native Americans to live on as little land as possible so that they could have more of it. Some Native Americans still trusted the colonists so they listened when they were told where to live. Native Americans trusted settlers even as their land got smaller and smaller. Colonists used different methods to gain control of Native Americans.

Colonial governments sometimes made peace treaties with Native Americans to get something or to make natives do something. A peace treaty was an agreement between a native tribe and colonists agreeing that neither would attack nor in any way harm the other group. Colonists often used these if they wanted something. If they got what they wanted, the treaties were broken soon after. “The…peace treaty between colonists and natives…stripped Powhatans of their independence…lands…freedom of movement” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Although Puglisi does not say so directly, it seems that colonial governments tried to restrict what Native Americans did in any way they could. Native Americans were occasionally forced to work for the colonists. Most of the natives that were used were the ones that colonists still considered trustworthy and who still trusted colonists. “Praying Indians…had served as spies, scouts, and soldiers” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 82). The tasks that colonists forced Indians to perform often put them in danger. It also made that tribe an enemy of other tribes who considered them traitors by working with colonies. While it appeared that colonists trusted certain native groups, tribes were rarely completed trusted by them.

Most colonists and their governments didn’t trust the Native Americans and were prejudiced against them. Colonists assumed that if one tribe acted one way then that’s how all Native Americans acted. Native Americans would sometimes be accused and persecuted for crimes that they didn’t commit. “Nathaniel Bacon disregarded the Governor’s direct orders by seizing some friendly Appomattox Indians for “allegedly” stealing corn” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Colonists would sometimes assume that if a tribe was in the area at the time the crime was committed then they were the ones that committed the crime. Common sense seems to indicate that Native Americans would be accused even if there was no evidence. Colonists often didn’t trust Native American tribes even if they were on good terms with them. Those tribes would still be looked upon with suspicion even if they had done nothing wrong. The tribes that were at times on good terms with the colonists were at times the ones that suffered the most. “In a dispute over the nonpayment of some items…”[it led to]“a retaliatory strike by the colonists, they attacked the wrong Indians” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Many people would assume that colonists would attack Native Americans if they didn’t like how they acted or if tribes did something that the settlers found disrespectful. Mistreatment of Native Americans became worse when Bacon’s Rebellion occurred.

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon and his followers attacked Jamestown and Native American tribes in the area. Their goal was to drive the governor out and to slaughter the Native Americans. His forces spared no one. Native men, women, and children were brutally killed. “The native suffered heavy losses, including their chief” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 77). They even attacked natives that they got along well with. “The English shot as many as they could…Col. Mason…ran amongst his Men, Crying out, ‘For the Lords sake Shoot no more, these are our friends the Susque-hanoughs” (Document #3, Thomas Matthews, The Beginning, Progress, and Conclusion of Bacon’s Rebellion, 1675-1676). They attacked without commission from the government, which was part of the reason why they attacked Jamestown in the first place. Native Americans were treated viciously and hardly lightened up even when Bacon died suddenly. Bacon’s death stopped the rebellion and allowed the government to take control again. Governor Berkeley may have taken back Jamestown but the treatment of Native Americans didn’t change at all.

When it comes to the topic of Bacon’s Rebellion, most of us will readily agree that it was an act of civil disobedience against a corrupt government and Native Americans who were despised. Where this agreement ends, however, is on the question of whether the treatment of the Native Americans was justified or not. Whereas some are convinced that they deserved what happened to them, others maintain that what happened to them wasn’t right or fair. While some people think that Native Americans deserved what happened to them, Native Americans suffered at Virginian colonists’ hands after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Native Americans have always been treated severely, but after Bacon’s Rebellion it reached an all-time high. Before the rebellion occurred colonists would limit the amount of land natives could live on. This was so that colonists could have more land and the natives would be as far away from then as possible. After the rebellion colonial governments began to limit the natives’ land even more. “The Indians were sent to assigned towns, placed under the supervision of militia officers or selectmen…” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 83). Native Americans were placed in towns and settlements, by colonial governments, which separated them from the colonists. The government claimed it was for “security” but it didn’t make a difference, safety wise. After Bacon’s Rebellion colonists started using the small land that Native Americans were forced to live on for their own purposes. “Some military leaders suggested fortifying the Praying Towns ‘as a wall of defence’ for the colony…that…strategy would have protected more populous towns from attack” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Towns were natives were living were used by colonists as a defense blockage in case they were ever attacked by outside forces. Colonists were willing to sacrifice natives, even the ones they got along with, as long as it meant they were safe.

After the rebellion colonial governments became more controlling over what Native Americans did for them. Colonists would force tribes to provide them with warriors for their militia. Many of the tribes that were asked had suffered heavy losses at colonists’ hands. “Tottopottomoy’s widow…was…pressed on the issue of supplying men to support the militia” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 78). It is unbelievable to think that colonists would even consider doing this when they had just slaughtered so many people from the tribes they were asking. The colonial government thought that it wasn’t enough for Native Americans to be living in separate towns. They thought natives should be moved somewhere else completely. “‘For their own & country’s security.’ the Praying Indians should be moved to islands in Boston Harbor” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 80). Colonists wanted to move the Native Americans away from the land that they had known their entire lives. “Torn from their livelihoods and left with no means to provide for themselves” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 81). Colonists left the natives on an island where they had no food or shelter. They were unfamiliar with the new landscape so they didn’t know where or if they could hunt for food. While the Native Americans were living in those islands, they almost starved. The way that colonists were treating the Native Americans was inhumane.

While attacks on Native Americans by colonists were common before the rebellion, after the rebellion they became more harsh and frequent. After Bacon’s Rebellion, colonists found new ways to attack the Native Americans. “A series of unfounded indictments against Praying Indians by their white neighbors” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Colonists were accusing and putting natives on trial for crimes that they did not commit. Most of the accusations had no evidence that a Native American had anything to do with it at all. Native Americans were suffering for mistakes made in the past. Mistakes they were often encouraged to make by the colonial government. “Governor Berkeley’s policy…encouraging the Indians to terrorize the frontier” (http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476). Before Bacon’s Rebellion took place, Governor Berkeley would encourage attacks on the colony by Native Americans. Native Americans were suffering for something that wasn’t entirely their fault. Colonists also used different methods to attack the natives. “Colonists added racist words of attack to the weapons of war” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). They began to attack Native Americans not only physically, but also verbally and psychologically as well. Native Americans suffered more than ever after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Nathaniel Bacon isn’t the big hero that many people think he is. He manipulated and used countless people just to get what he wanted. While Bacon made it seem like all he wanted to do was help the oppressed settlers, he also had ulterior motives. “Bacon…probably cared more about fighting Indians than about helping the poor” (Howard Zinn, pg. 37). Bacon hated Native Americans and he twisted the colonists’ anger so that he could get the chance to kill them. Bacon is the hero of nothing. He saved no one and helped no one. Nothing for the colonists changed after the rebellion. The taxes didn’t change and some Native Americans continued to attack them. It almost seems like they fought for nothing.

My sources for this essay are very credible. Some of my information was from the handouts I received in class. My other information came from a reliable database. Other information I received was from the Internet. Information from my sources are logical and free of fallacies.

Bacon’s Rebellion had a disastrous effect for all Native Americans after it occurred. The rebellion led to assumptions made about Indians that weren’t true. It also cast an aura of suspicion around all Native Americans, even the ones that were previously considered trustworthy by colonists. Men, women, and children were slaughtered during the rebellion and the ones that remained suffered greatly at colonists’ hands. They were forced off their land, forced to work, and almost starved because of the colonial government. One person isn’t to blame for what happened. It is the colony and their governments’ fault. So many people suffered because of what they did. Bacon's Rebellion also had implications on today's society as well. “Historians considered the Virginia Rebellion of 1676 to be the first stirring of revolutionary sentiment in America, which culminated in the American Revolution” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). The American Revolution was one rebellion that occurred after Bacon's Rebellion. Bacon's Rebellion led to a chain of rebellions that affected society then and now. If the American Revolution had never occurred our world would be a very different place than it is now. If the English colonists had never fought against the British government, we might still be under their control. The Declaration of Independence might never have been created and our country wouldn't be the great nation it is today. Further research needs to be done about what else colonists forced natives to do. I want to know what else happened besides Native Americans being forced to live on separate land and a completely new area. It needs to be made clearer that Native Americans were the real victims of the rebellion, not unhappy colonists. Native Americans did nothing wrong, but the colonists killed and terrorized them anyway.

Works Cited:

1. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm,
October 15, 2008
2. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.wikipedia.com, October 2, 2008
3. Howard Zinn. “Who Were the Colonists?.” A Young People’s History of the
United States Columbus to the Spanish-American War Vol. 1: pg. 37
4. Michael J. Puglisi. ““Whether They Be Friends or Foes:” The Roles and Reactions of Tributary Native Groups Caught in Colonial Conflicts”.
5. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Lester J. Cappon
Reviewed Title(s): Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon's Rebellion and Its Leader.
Reviewed Authors(s): Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker
Source: The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 7, No. 2 (May, 1941), pp. 245-246
Publisher(s): Southern Historical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476
6. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Susie M. Ames
Reviewed Title(s): The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia
Reviewed Authors(s): Wilcomb E. Washburn
Source: The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 45, No. 1 (Jun., 1958), pp. 122-123
Publisher(s): Organization of American Historians
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1886705

Bacon's Rebellion Rough Draft Essay 2

What was Bacon’s Rebellion? The definition of a rebellion is the act of defying authority by a person or a group of people. This is what Bacon’s Rebellion was. It affected many people, colonists and Native Americans alike. The rebellion had disastrous consequences for both sides. No one really won, but everything was lost for one group of people. Colonists were fighting for their rights while Native American rights were lost. The consequences of Bacon’s Rebellion are visible throughout the generations.

Bacon’s Rebellion was an act of civil disobedience against a corrupt government and Native Americans who were despised. “Bacon’s Rebellion was the result of discontent among back-country farmers against corruption in the government.” (Bacon’s Rebellion. wikipedia.com). A young settler named Nathaniel Bacon led the revolt in 1676 Virginia. Helping Bacon in the uprising was an assortment of poor settlers, former indentured servants, and slaves. Bacon himself wasn’t poor. He came from an elite family and received acres of land when he first arrived in Virginia. He was very well connected in the colony and his cousin was the governor. Governor William Berkeley had a great deal to do with Bacon’s Rebellion. Some would even say he was the cause of it.

Bacon repeatedly went to Berkeley to gain commission to fight against the Native Americans. Each time the governor refused. “Berkeley’s policy was to preserve the friendship of tributary Indians” (The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia, pg. 22). Governor Berkeley wanted peace with Native Americans so that it wouldn’t affect trade with them. This was the only reason he wouldn’t allow commissions for attacks against them. Native Americans would often attack and raid the colony. Colonists claimed that the government was favoring the Native Americans over them. It angered many colonists that their own governor refused to protect them against the Native Americans. They were not only fighting for policies about Native Americans to change. They also wanted lower taxes and all of corruption within the government gone. Throughout all of this, Native Americans were treated harshly.

Before Bacon’s Rebellion even occurred, Native Americans were being misused and mishandled. Colonists wanted land from Native Americans. They took advantage of the Indians and did whatever they could to get it from them. Colonial governments slowly became more controlling of native tribes and began to direct everything that they did. “Living on assigned lands at the will and direction of the provincial governments” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Colonists wanted the Native Americans to live on as little land as possible so that they could have more of it. Some Native Americans still trusted the colonists so they listened when they were told where to live. Native Americans trusted settlers even as their land got smaller and smaller. Colonists used different methods to gain control of Native Americans.

Colonial governments sometimes made peace treaties with Native Americans to get something or to make natives do something. A peace treaty was an agreement between a native tribe and colonists agreeing that neither would attack nor in any way harm the other group. Colonists often used these if they wanted something. If they got what they wanted, the treaties were broken soon after. “The…peace treaty between colonists and natives…stripped Powhatans of their independence…lands…freedom of movement” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Colonial governments tried to restrict what Native Americans did in any way they could. Native Americans were occasionally forced to work for the colonists. Most of the natives that were used were the ones that colonists still considered trustworthy and who still trusted colonists. “Praying Indians…had served as spies, scouts, and soldiers” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 82). The tasks that colonists forced Indians to perform often put them in danger. It also made that tribe an enemy of other tribes who considered them traitors by working with colonies. While it appeared that colonists trusted certain native groups, tribes were rarely completed trusted by them.

Most colonists and their governments didn’t trust the Native Americans and were prejudiced against them. Colonists assumed that if one tribe acted one way then that’s how all Native Americans acted. Native Americans would sometimes be accused and persecuted for crimes that they didn’t commit. “Nathaniel bacon disregarded the Governor’s direct orders by seizing some friendly Appomattox Indians for “allegedly” stealing corn” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Colonists would sometimes assume that if a tribe was in the area at the time the crime was committed then they were the ones that committed the crime. Native Americans would be accused even if there was no evidence. Colonists often didn’t trust Native American tribes even if they were on good terms with them. Those tribes would still be looked upon with suspicion even if they had done nothing wrong. The tribes that were at times on good terms with the colonists were at times the ones that suffered the most. “In a dispute over the nonpayment of some items…”[it led to]“a retaliatory strike by the colonists, they attacked the wrong Indians” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Colonists would attack Native Americans if they didn’t like how they acted. Tribes were also attacked if they did something that the settlers found disrespectful. Mistreatment of Native Americans became worse when Bacon’s Rebellion occurred.

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon and his followers attacked Jamestown and Native American tribes in the area. Their goal was to drive the governor out and to slaughter the Native Americans. His forces spared no one. Native men, women, and children were brutally killed. “The native suffered heavy losses, including their chief” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 77). They even attacked natives that they got along well with. “The English shot as many as they could…Col. Mason…ran amongst his Men, Crying out, ‘For the Lords sake Shoot no more, these are our friends the Susque-hanoughs” (Document #3, Thomas Matthews, The Beginning, Progress, and Conclusion of Bacon’s Rebellion, 1675-1676). They attacked without commission from the government, which was part of the reason why they attacked Jamestown in the first place. Native Americans were treated viciously and hardly lightened up even when Bacon died suddenly. Bacon’s death stopped the rebellion and allowed the government to take control again. Governor Berkeley may have taken back Jamestown but the treatment of Native Americans didn’t change at all. While some people think that Native Americans deserved what happened to them, Native Americans suffered at Virginian colonists’ hands after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Native Americans have always been treated severely, but after Bacon’s Rebellion it reached an all-time high. Before the rebellion occurred colonists would limit the amount of land natives could live on. This was so that colonists could have more land and the natives would be as far away from then as possible. After the rebellion colonial governments began to limit the natives’ land even more. “The Indians were sent to assigned towns, placed under the supervision of militia officers or selectmen…” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 83). Native Americans were placed in towns and settlements, by colonial governments, which separated them from the colonists. The government claimed it was for “security” but it didn’t make a difference, safety wise. After Bacon’s Rebellion colonists started using the small land that Native Americans were forced to live on for their own purposes. “Some military leaders suggested fortifying the Praying Towns ‘as a wall of defence’ for the colony…that…strategy would have protected more populous towns from attack” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Towns were natives were living were used by colonists as a defense blockage in case they were ever attacked by outside forces. Colonists were willing to sacrifice natives, even the ones they got along with, as long as it meant they were safe.

After the rebellion colonial governments became more controlling over what Native Americans did for them. Colonists would force tribes to provide them with warriors for their militia. Many of the tribes that were asked had suffered heavy losses at colonists’ hands. “Tottopottomoy’s widow…was…pressed on the issue of supplying men to support the militia” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 78). It is unbelievable to think that colonists would even consider doing this when they had just slaughtered so many people from the tribes they were asking. The colonial government thought that it wasn’t enough for Native Americans to be living in separate towns. They thought natives should be moved somewhere else completely. “‘For their own & country’s security.’ the Praying Indians should be moved to islands in Boston Harbor” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 80). Colonists wanted to move the Native Americans away from the land that they had known their entire lives. “Torn from their livelihoods and left with no means to provide for themselves” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 81). Colonists left the natives on an island where they had no food or shelter. They were unfamiliar with the new landscape so they didn’t know where or if they could hunt for food. While the Native Americans were living in those islands, they almost starved. The way that colonists were treating the Native Americans was inhumane.

While attacks on Native Americans by colonists were common before the rebellion, after the rebellion they became more harsh and frequent. After Bacon’s Rebellion, colonists found new ways to attack the Native Americans. “A series of unfounded indictments against Praying Indians by their white neighbors” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Colonists were accusing and putting natives on trial for crimes that they did not commit. Most of the accusations had no evidence that a Native American had anything to do with it at all. Native Americans were suffering for mistakes made in the past. Mistakes they were often encouraged to make by the colonial government. “Governor Berkeley’s policy…encouraging the Indians to terrorize the frontier” (http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476). Before Bacon’s Rebellion took place, Governor Berkeley would encourage attacks on the colony by Native Americans. Native Americans were suffering for something that wasn’t entirely their fault. Colonists also used different methods to attack the natives. “Colonists added racist words of attack to the weapons of war” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). They began to attack Native Americans not only physically, but also verbally and psychologically as well. Native Americans suffered more than ever after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Nathaniel Bacon isn’t the big hero that many people think he is. He manipulated and used countless people just to get what he wanted. While Bacon made it seem like all he wanted to do was help the oppressed settlers, he also had ulterior motives. “Bacon…probably cared more about fighting Indians than about helping the poor” (Howard Zinn, pg. 37). Bacon hated Native Americans and he twisted the colonists’ anger so that he could get the chance to kill them. Bacon is the hero of nothing. He saved no one and helped no one. Nothing for the colonists changed after the rebellion. The taxes didn’t change and some Native Americans continued to attack them. It almost seems like they fought for nothing.

My sources for this essay are very credible. Some of my information was from the handouts I received in class. My other information came from a reliable database. Other information I received was from the Internet. Information from my sources are logical and free of fallacies.

Bacon’s Rebellion had a disastrous effect for all Native Americans after it occurred. The rebellion led to assumptions made about Indians that weren’t true. It also cast an aura of suspicion around all Native Americans, even the ones that were previously considered trustworthy by colonists. Men, women, and children were slaughtered during the rebellion and the ones that remained suffered greatly at colonists’ hands. They were forced off their land, forced to work, and almost starved because of the colonial government. One person isn’t to blame for what happened. It is the colony and their governments’ fault. So many people suffered because of what they did. Bacon's Rebellion also had implications on today's society as well. "Historians considered the Virginia Rebellion of 1676 to be the first stirring of revolutionary sentiment in America, which culminated in the American Revolution" (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). The American Revolution was one rebellion that occurred after Bacon's Rebellion. Bacon's Rebellion led to a chain of rebellions that affected society then and now. If the American Revolution had never occurred our world would be a very different place than it is now. If the English colonists had never fought against the British government, we might still be under their control. The Declaration of Independence might never have been created and our country wouldn't be the great nation it is today. Further research needs to be done about what else colonists forced natives to do. I want to know what else happened besides Native Americans being forced to live on separate land and a completely new area. It needs to be made clearer that Native Americans were the real victims of the rebellion, not unhappy colonists. Native Americans did nothing wrong, but the colonists killed and terrorized them anyway.

Works Cited:

1. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm,
October 15, 2008
2. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.wikipedia.com, October 2, 2008
3. Howard Zinn. “Who Were the Colonists?.” A Young People’s History of the
United States Columbus to the Spanish-American War Vol. 1: pg. 37
4. Michael J. Puglisi. ““Whether They Be Friends or Foes:” The Roles and Reactions of Tributary Native Groups Caught in Colonial Conflicts”.
5. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Lester J. Cappon
Reviewed Title(s): Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon's Rebellion and Its Leader.
Reviewed Authors(s): Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker
Source: The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 7, No. 2 (May, 1941), pp. 245-246
Publisher(s): Southern Historical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476
6. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Susie M. Ames
Reviewed Title(s): The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia
Reviewed Authors(s): Wilcomb E. Washburn
Source: The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 45, No. 1 (Jun., 1958), pp. 122-123
Publisher(s): Organization of American Historians
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1886705

Bacon's Rebellion Rough Draft Essay 1

What was Bacon’s Rebellion? The definition of a rebellion is the act of defying authority by a person or a group of people. This is what Bacon’s Rebellion was. It affected many people, colonists and Native Americans alike. The rebellion had disastrous consequences for both sides. No one really won, but everything was lost for one group of people. Colonists were fighting for their rights while Native American rights were lost. The consequences of Bacon’s Rebellion are visible throughout the generations.

Bacon’s Rebellion was an act of civil disobedience against a corrupt government and Native Americans who were despised. “Bacon’s Rebellion was the result of discontent among back-country farmers against corruption in the government.” (Bacon’s Rebellion. wikipedia.com). A young settler named Nathaniel Bacon led the revolt in 1676 Virginia. Helping Bacon in the uprising was an assortment of poor settlers, former indentured servants, and slaves. Bacon himself wasn’t poor. He came from an elite family and received acres of land when he first arrived in Virginia. He was very well connected in the colony and his cousin was the governor. Governor William Berkeley had a great deal to do with Bacon’s Rebellion. Some would even say he was the cause of it.

Bacon repeatedly went to Berkeley to gain commission to fight against the Native Americans. Each time the governor refused. “Berkeley’s policy was to preserve the friendship of tributary Indians” (The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia, pg. 22). Governor Berkeley wanted peace with Native Americans so that it wouldn’t affect trade with them. This was the only reason he wouldn’t allow commissions for attacks against them. Native Americans would often attack and raid the colony. Colonists claimed that the government was favoring the Native Americans over them. It angered many colonists that their own governor refused to protect them against the Native Americans. They were not only fighting for policies about Native Americans to change. They also wanted lower taxes and all of corruption within the government gone. Throughout all of this, Native Americans were treated harshly.

Before Bacon’s Rebellion even occurred, Native Americans were being misused and mishandled. Colonists wanted land from Native Americans. They took advantage of the Indians and did whatever they could to get it from them. Colonial governments slowly became more controlling of native tribes and began to direct everything that they did. “Living on assigned lands at the will and direction of the provincial governments” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Colonists wanted the Native Americans to live on as little land as possible so that they could have more of it. Some Native Americans still trusted the colonists so they listened when they were told where to live. Native Americans trusted settlers even as their land got smaller and smaller. Colonists used different methods to gain control of Native Americans.

Colonial governments sometimes made peace treaties with Native Americans to get something or to make natives do something. A peace treaty was an agreement between a native tribe and colonists agreeing that neither would attack nor in any way harm the other group. Colonists often used these if they wanted something. If they got what they wanted, the treaties were broken soon after. “The…peace treaty between colonists and natives…stripped Powhatans of their independence…lands…freedom of movement” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 76). Colonial governments tried to restrict what Native Americans did in any way they could. Native Americans were occasionally forced to work for the colonists. Most of the natives that were used were the ones that colonists still considered trustworthy and who still trusted colonists. “Praying Indians…had served as spies, scouts, and soldiers” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 82). The tasks that colonists forced Indians to perform often put them in danger. It also made that tribe an enemy of other tribes who considered them traitors by working with colonies. While it appeared that colonists trusted certain native groups, tribes were rarely completed trusted by them.

Most colonists and their governments didn’t trust the Native Americans and were prejudiced against them. Colonists assumed that if one tribe acted one way then that’s how all Native Americans acted. Native Americans would sometimes be accused and persecuted for crimes that they didn’t commit. “Nathaniel bacon disregarded the Governor’s direct orders by seizing some friendly Appomattox Indians for “allegedly” stealing corn” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Colonists would sometimes assume that if a tribe was in the area at the time the crime was committed then they were the ones that committed the crime. Native Americans would be accused even if there was no evidence. Colonists often didn’t trust Native American tribes even if they were on good terms with them. Those tribes would still be looked upon with suspicion even if they had done nothing wrong. The tribes that were at times on good terms with the colonists were at times the ones that suffered the most. “In a dispute over the nonpayment of some items…”[it led to]“a retaliatory strike by the colonists, they attacked the wrong Indians” (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm). Colonists would attack Native Americans if they didn’t like how they acted. Tribes were also attacked if they did something that the settlers found disrespectful. Mistreatment of Native Americans became worse when Bacon’s Rebellion occurred.

In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon and his followers attacked Jamestown and Native American tribes in the area. Their goal was to drive the governor out and to slaughter the Native Americans. His forces spared no one. Native men, women, and children were brutally killed. “The native suffered heavy losses, including their chief” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 77). They even attacked natives that they got along well with. “The English shot as many as they could…Col. Mason…ran amongst his Men, Crying out, ‘For the Lords sake Shoot no more, these are our friends the Susque-hanoughs” (Document #3, Thomas Matthews, The Beginning, Progress, and Conclusion of Bacon’s Rebellion, 1675-1676). They attacked without commission from the government, which was part of the reason why they attacked Jamestown in the first place. Native Americans were treated viciously and hardly lightened up even when Bacon died suddenly. Bacon’s death stopped the rebellion and allowed the government to take control again. Governor Berkeley may have taken back Jamestown but the treatment of Native Americans didn’t change at all. While some people think that Native Americans deserved what happened to them, Native Americans suffered at Virginian colonists’ hands after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Native Americans have always been treated severely, but after Bacon’s Rebellion it reached an all-time high. Before the rebellion occurred colonists would limit the amount of land natives could live on. This was so that colonists could have more land and the natives would be as far away from then as possible. After the rebellion colonial governments began to limit the natives’ land even more. “The Indians were sent to assigned towns, placed under the supervision of militia officers or selectmen…” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 83). Native Americans were placed in towns and settlements, by colonial governments, which separated them from the colonists. The government claimed it was for “security” but it didn’t make a difference, safety wise. After Bacon’s Rebellion colonists started using the small land that Native Americans were forced to live on for their own purposes. “Some military leaders suggested fortifying the Praying Towns ‘as a wall of defence’ for the colony…that…strategy would have protected more populous towns from attack” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Towns were natives were living were used by colonists as a defense blockage in case they were ever attacked by outside forces. Colonists were willing to sacrifice natives, even the ones they got along with, as long as it meant they were safe.

After the rebellion colonial governments became more controlling over what Native Americans did for them. Colonists would force tribes to provide them with warriors for their militia. Many of the tribes that were asked had suffered heavy losses at colonists’ hands. “Tottopottomoy’s widow…was…pressed on the issue of supplying men to support the militia” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 78). It is unbelievable to think that colonists would even consider doing this when they had just slaughtered so many people from the tribes they were asking. The colonial government thought that it wasn’t enough for Native Americans to be living in separate towns. They thought natives should be moved somewhere else completely. “‘For their own & country’s security.’ the Praying Indians should be moved to islands in Boston Harbor” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 80). Colonists wanted to move the Native Americans away from the land that they had known their entire lives. “Torn from their livelihoods and left with no means to provide for themselves” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 81). Colonists left the natives on an island where they had no food or shelter. They were unfamiliar with the new landscape so they didn’t know where or if they could hunt for food. While the Native Americans were living in those islands, they almost starved. The way that colonists were treating the Native Americans was inhumane.

While attacks on Native Americans by colonists were common before the rebellion, after the rebellion they became more harsh and frequent. After Bacon’s Rebellion, colonists found new ways to attack the Native Americans. “A series of unfounded indictments against Praying Indians by their white neighbors” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). Colonists were accusing and putting natives on trial for crimes that they did not commit. Most of the accusations had no evidence that a Native American had anything to do with it at all. Native Americans were suffering for mistakes made in the past. Mistakes they were often encouraged to make by the colonial government. “Governor Berkeley’s policy…encouraging the Indians to terrorize the frontier” (http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476). Before Bacon’s Rebellion took place, Governor Berkeley would encourage attacks on the colony by Native Americans. Native Americans were suffering for something that wasn’t entirely their fault. Colonists also used different methods to attack the natives. “Colonists added racist words of attack to the weapons of war” (Michael J. Puglisi, pg. 79). They began to attack Native Americans not only physically, but also verbally and psychologically as well. Native Americans suffered more than ever after Bacon’s Rebellion.

Nathaniel Bacon isn’t the big hero that many people think he is. He manipulated and used countless people just to get what he wanted. While Bacon made it seem like all he wanted to do was help the oppressed settlers, he also had ulterior motives. “Bacon…probably cared more about fighting Indians than about helping the poor” (Howard Zinn, pg. 37). Bacon hated Native Americans and he twisted the colonists’ anger so that he could get the chance to kill them. Bacon is the hero of nothing. He saved no one and helped no one. Nothing for the colonists changed after the rebellion. The taxes didn’t change and some Native Americans continued to attack them. It almost seems like they fought for nothing.

My sources for this essay are very credible. Some of my information was from the handouts I received in class. My other information came from a reliable database. Other information I received was from the Internet. Information from my sources are logical and free of fallacies.

Bacon’s Rebellion had a disastrous effect for all Native Americans after it occurred. The rebellion led to assumptions made about Indians that weren’t true. It also cast an aura of suspicion around all Native Americans, even the ones that were previously considered trustworthy by colonists. Men, women, and children were slaughtered during the rebellion and the ones that remained suffered greatly at colonists’ hands. They were forced off their land, forced to work, and almost starved because of the colonial government. One person isn’t to blame for what happened. It is the colony and their governments’ fault. So many people suffered because of what they did. Further research needs to be done about what else colonists forced natives to do. I want to know what else happened besides Native Americans being forced to live on separate land and a completely new area. It needs to be made clearer that Native Americans were the real victims of the rebellion, not unhappy colonists. Native Americans did nothing wrong, but the colonists killed and terrorized them anyway.

Works Cited:

1. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/bacon.htm,
October 15, 2008
2. Bacon’s Rebellion. http://www.wikipedia.com, October 2, 2008
3. Howard Zinn. “Who Were the Colonists?.” A Young People’s History of the
United States Columbus to the Spanish-American War Vol. 1: pg. 37
4. Michael J. Puglisi. ““Whether They Be Friends or Foes:” The Roles and Reactions of Tributary Native Groups Caught in Colonial Conflicts”.
5. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Lester J. Cappon
Reviewed Title(s): Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon's Rebellion and Its Leader.
Reviewed Authors(s): Thomas Jefferson Wertenbaker
Source: The Journal of Southern History, Vol. 7, No. 2 (May, 1941), pp. 245-246
Publisher(s): Southern Historical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2191476
6. Title: Review: [untitled]
Author(s): Susie M. Ames
Reviewed Title(s): The Governor and the Rebel: A History of Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia
Reviewed Authors(s): Wilcomb E. Washburn
Source: The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 45, No. 1 (Jun., 1958), pp. 122-123
Publisher(s): Organization of American Historians
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1886705