VUS SOL 4c - Bacon's Rebellion

​Bacon's Rebellion

Bacon's Rebellion was an armed uprising in colonial Virginia from 1676 to 1677 led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley. The conflict was fueled by high taxes, low tobacco prices, and a desire for land and protection from Native American raids. The rebellion became a civil war when Bacon's forces attacked both Native Americans and Berkeley's loyalists, eventually burning down the capital at Jamestown

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Summary

Multiple Choice

"These at the heads of James and York rivers ... grew impatient at the many slaughters of their neighbors and rose for own defense, who choosing Mr. Bacon for their leader, sent oftentimes to the Governor, ... beseeching a commission to go against the Indians at their own charge; which His Honor as often promised, but did not send .... "During these protractions and people often slain, most or all the officers, civil and military, ... met and concerted together, the danger of going without a commission on the one part and the continual murders of their neighbors on the other part. . .. This day lapsing and no commission come, they marched into the wilderness in quest of these Indians, after whom the Governor sent his proclamation, denouncing all rebels who should not return within a limited day; whereupon those of estates obeyed. But Mr. Bacon, with fifty-seven men, proceeded .... They fired and ... slew 150 Indians."

-Samuel Kercheval, Virginia author and lawyer, "On Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia," 1833.

Based on the information in this excerpt, what is Samuel Kercheval's point of view toward Bacon and his followers?

• They were dangerous men who threatened colonial stability and prosperity.

• They were frustrated men who were taking action because the government did not.

• They were allies of the governor who carried out actions that he supported.

• They were a primarily political movement that wanted Bacon to become governor.

Multiple Choice

When was Bacon's Rebllion?

• 1700s.

• 1670s.

• 1650s.

• 1620s.

Causes

Frontiersmen were unhappy with Governor Berkeley's administration, which they accused of corruption and high taxes that disproportionately affected them. Falling tobacco prices also contributed to economic hardship for many settlers. 

Political and Economic Discontent

Multiple Choice

What was one of the reasons Bacon gave for the rebellion?

• High food prices

• Lack of religious freedom

• Injustice and corruption

• Poor education

Tensions with Native Americans escalated due to competition for land and increased raids by some tribes. Settlers, particularly on the frontier, demanded a more aggressive military response than Governor Berkeley favored. He claimed that native people were mostly peaceful.

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​Conflict with Native Americans

Multiple Choice

What was Bacon fighting for to begin with?

• To fight againsts the injustices of the House of Burgesses.

• To free the indentured servants and enforce black codes.

• The opportunity for all men on the frontier to own slaves.

• Protection against the Natives so settlers could expand their land holdings on the frontier.

Multiple Choice

Bacon accused Berkeley of falsely claiming that the Indians were:

• Aggressive

• Peaceful

• Cooperative

• Hostile

Berkeley was accused of corruption and favoring wealthy landowners with large land grants, which made it difficult for small farmers, many of them former indentured servants, to prosper.

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​Concentrated Power

Multiple Choice

Which of the following led the opposition to Bacon's Rebellion?

• Leaders of the Church of England.

• Members of the Virginia House of Burgesses.

• Soldiers from the British army.

• The Colonial Governor.

The Rebellions Events

Nathaniel Bacon, a wealthy planter and member of the Governor's Council, emerged as a leader for the discontented colonists. After being denied a commission to fight the Native Americans, he gathered his own militia to attack them. 

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Nathaniel Bacon

Multiple Choice

Who was Nathaniel Bacon?

• An indentured servant

• A wealthy planter from Virginia

• A wealthy merchant from New England

• A poor frontiersman in Virginia

Bacon and his volunteers launched raids against both hostile and friendly Indian tribes, many of whom were Virginia's allies. Native American attacks on colonists on the frontier were a common and complex feature of early American history, often resulting from the displacement of Native peoples and the expansion of settlements onto their lands.

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Fighting on the Frontier

Multiple Choice

These people were attacked during Bacon's Rebellion, even though the Governor of Virginia had ordered them to be left alone.

• Poor Blacks

• Poor Whites

• Native Americans

Multiple Choice

Bacon's Rebellion was initiated by a group of farmers who felt most directly threatened by

• An increase in Royal taxes.

• The power of large planters.

• Conflicts with the American Indians.

• The growth of the American slave trade.

Frontier in 1676

Look closely at the map. The red line indicates the frontier - where settled, colonized land met Indian territory. Find Kecoughtan on the map...that's where you live now.

The conflict escalated into a civil war between Bacon's forces and Governor Berkeley's loyalists. Berkeley had Bacon arrested and removed from the Governor's Council, but Bacon's supporters secured his release and elected him to the House of Burgesses.

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Confrontation with the Government

Multiple Choice

Why did Nathaniel Bacon and Governor Berkeley not like each other?

• They disagreed on Native American policies in the colony.

• Berkeley was not a loyal family member and Bacon wanted revenge.

• Berkeley was not being fair in taxing the colonists.

• Berkeley did not let local men create their own militias.

In September 1676, Bacon and his army marched on the capital and burned it to the ground. 

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Burning of Jamestown

Multiple Choice

Why were Europeans trying to move into the western frontier?

• Because all of the land around Jamestown had been given to rich people and they needed land to farm.

• Because they didn't like living close to Jamestown.

• Because they wanted to fight with indigenous people.

• Because they were rich and they wanted more land.

Multiple Choice

Who formed an alliance in Bacon's rebellion?

• Indentured servants and slaves

• Rich people and indigenous people

• Slaves and indigenous people

• Indentured servants and indigenous people

Multiple Choice

Who was governor when the rebel militia burned Jamestown during Bacon's Rebellion?

• Nathaniel Bacon

• Howard Zinn

• William Berkley

• William Drummond

Multiple Choice

What scared rich people most about Bacon's Rebellion?

• That the rebels had angered the indigenous people

• That the rebels burned Jamestown

• That the rebels were an alliance between European indentured servants and African slaves

• That so many of their slaves and servants had been killed

Bacon died of dysentery in October 1676, and the rebellion was eventually crushed by Berkeley's forces shortly after. 

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End of the Rebellion

Multiple Choice

How did Bacon's Rebellion end?

• Nathaniel Bacon negotiated peace terms with Governor Berkeley.

• Nathaniel Bacon was hanged by the House of Burgesses.

• Nathaniel Bacon was killed by the governor of Virginia.

• Nathaniel Bacon became sick and died.

Aftermath & Signifigance

The rebellion ended shortly after Bacon died in October 1676. Governor Berkeley regained control and eventually had 23 major leaders hanged.

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​Suppression of the Rebellion

Open Ended

What happened to the frontiersmen that supported Bacon?

The rebellion made wealthy planters more fearful of social unrest. This led them to consolidate power and increase their reliance on enslaved Africans rather than indentured servants.

Shift to Slavery

Multiple Choice

What effect did Bacon's Rebellion have on the colonies/U.S.?

• Land owners were now fearful of using slaves

• Slavery became the dominant form of labor in the South

• Governor Berkeley left the colonies unprotected from Spain

Black individuals in early Virginia were sometimes treated as indentured servants, working for a set term in exchange for passage to America. However, this was a temporary situation, and by the last quarter of the 17th century, Virginia transitioned to a system of hereditary, lifelong slavery for Africans, a shift that became dominant after Bacon's Rebellion in 1676. This is when you begin to see the power separate the races.

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Black Indentured Servants

Multiple Choice

Why were black slaves separated from indentured servants after Bacon's Rebellion?

• Indentured servants had fought for more rights.

• So they could not join together in a rebellion again.

• Because black slaves were seen as harder workers.

• Because black slaves were much cheaper to buy after the rebellion.

Multiple Choice

This idea helped the rich leaders in the colonists prevent future rebellions in which whites and blacks joined together:

• Slavery

• Racism

• Rebellion

Multiple Choice

What is a significant effect of Bacon's Rebellion?

• Virginia lawmakers began to make legal distinctions between "white" and "black" inhabitants.

• Virginia lawmakers punished indentured servants with harsh laws.

• The Virginia frontier was closed off for settlement.

• The Native Americans created an alliance with the indentured servants of Virginia.

Following the rebellion, ironically, the colonial government became more aggressive in its policies toward Native Americans.

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More Aggressive Indian Policy

While Bacon's Rebellion is sometimes seen as an early precursor to the American Revolution, many historians now view it more as a power struggle between Bacon and Berkeley, rather than a fight against tyranny.

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Legacy

Multiple Choice

Bacon's Rebellion revealed that there was _____ in which the poor and the rich in the colonies were at odds with each other.

• Class Conflict

• Racism

• Slavery

Open Ended

To what extent was Bacon's Rebellion successful? Respond in complete sentences. Think about the consequences for poor frontiersmen, the enslaved, and the Native Americans. Your response should consider the historical context as a whole.