Milestone 1 Sample

Building 21 readers, my travels to 1676 have been enlightening. I have come back with some information on the conflict that we now call Bacon’s Rebellion. Having had an opportunity to investigate the conflict with some effort, I have come to report on my findings.

Bacon’s Rebellion has been billed historically as a conflict between wealthy and poor colonists. An examination of the events of the period shows us that wealthy colonists had actually been involved in the uprising. Nathaniel Bacon, for example was a wealthy colonist who had initiated the rebellion. He used his charisma to rally the poor farmers of western Virginia behind him. We recall from Zinn’s A Young People’s History of the United States that Bacon had organized a militia, or citizen soldiers, to help protect the western frontier from Native American attacks. This resulted in the governor, Sir William Berkley to have Bacon arrested as a rebel. Bacon had earned his freedom by writing a letter of apology:

“I Nath(aniel) Bacon, jr. of Henrico county, in Virginia, doe hereby most readily, freely and most humbly acknowledge that I am and have been guilty of diverse late unlawfull, mutinous and rebellious practices… …And I doe further acknowledge that the said honourable governour hath been very favourable to me, by his several reiterated gracious offers of pardon, thereby to reclaime me from the persecution of those my unjust proceedings… …I doe hereby, upon my knees, most humbly beg of Almighty God and of his majesties said governour, Bacon’s opposition that upon this my most harty and unfeigned acknowledgement of my said miscarriages and unwarrantable practices, he will please to grant me his gracious pardon…

Upon being released, he and his militia began the rebellion against the crown. He showed very little regard for the rule of law in the colony he served, and much less respect for the rules and decorum of the House of Burgesses, the governing body upon which he presided.

In support of the poor colonists, Bacon had used the threat of the Natives on the western frontiers as an excuse to mobilize the poor colonists behind him. Zinn’s book tells us that by fabricating the shared threat of Native American attacks, Bacon was able to motivate the colonists to protect themselves. He also mentions that he was able to unify black and white colonists against a common enemy.

The rebellion had ultimately failed, resulting in many of the men who joined Bacon’s militias to be tried for treason and executed. According to a book from the office of the general account of labels, deeds, and wills from 1670 to 1677, Sir William Berkeley, the governor of the colony had several of the conspirators in the rebellion “condemned to be hanged.” Seeing these capitol punishments levied upon the people of the colony no doubt had placed a fear of reprisal from the colonial government, bringing the rebellion to a swift and tragic end.

In summary, Bacon’s Rebellion was less a conflict of rich and poor, but rather a concerted effort by one man, Nathaniel Bacon to protect his own self interests. In doing so, he incited a failed rebellion, which resulted in the executions of countless poor colonists. Bacon cared little for the regards of his colonial governor, and instead chose to rebel against his government. He flouted the authority of the government, and took matters into his own hands.