HIUS 221
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Nathaniel Bacon Rebellion
Submitted to Professor _________
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
HIUS 221- Section Number
Survey of American History I
by
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From 1676 to 1677, Virginia Settlers were involved in an armed rebellion known as the
Bacons rebellion. The prominent leader of this rebellion was known as Nathaniel Bacon, against
Colonial Governor William Berkeley.1. This was the first rebellion that happened in the North
American Colonies. The rebellion arose when Bacon was denied a grab for the Native American
lands. Nathaniel Bacon led the growing group of rebels in the bloody battle and was not planning
on stopping the battle until his grievances got aired. Despite the efforts to stop Bacon, he could
not surrender and insist there were not about to give up in the fight until action against the
governor got taken. This rebellion was the prominent one American colonists held against
Britain and their colonial government.
The Bacon rebellion gets considered a forerunner of the American Revolution. Besides, it
was a power struggle that entailed two strong men unwilling to listen to each other and solve
disputes. As a result, the battle became even stiffer. The two men were Berkeley and Bacon,
whose main concerns were on the issues of Native Americans. According to Bacon, all the
Native Americans were removed from the colony, while Berkeley wanted to promote trade with
the Native Americans. This was a direct opposing viewpoint to that of Bacon which fueled the
Bacons rebellion. Since no action was taken to remove the Native Americans as Bacon wanted,
he and other colonists established raids against the Native American groups. As a result,
Berkeley labeled Bacon as a rebel, and the forces in both sides clashed and engaged in a battle.
Another factor contributing to the Bacon rebellion is that Berkeley practiced discrimination by
favoring certain court members. Bacon was not within the circle of Berkeley when in court.
Thus, they both disagreed in very many issues, which are among the issues that led to the
escalation of the conflict. The followers of Bacon used this rebellion to gain recognition in the
1 Iverson, Justin. "Enslaved rebels fight for freedom: Nathaniel Bacon’s 1676 slave rebellion."9Atlantic Studies918,
no. 2 (2021): 271-288.
government, something they did receive. Since the motives of Bacon were not accomplished, the
rebels rose in arms against Berkeley. They chased him from Jamestown and eventually touched
the settlements. In 1976 on July 30, Bacon and his army issued the people's declaration,
criticizing Berkeley’s governance2. Some of the declarations made this day were that Berkeley
was imposing unjust taxes in the pretense of being engaged in public works. Besides, they noted
that Berkeley was a pro-Native American and monopolized the beaver trade with the Native
Americans. It took many months before the conflict ended until bacon forces went to Jamestown,
which was all occupied by the forces of Berkeley. The Bacon force of men captured and burned
the colonial capital to the ground on September 19. At this point, Berkley was outnumbered, and
he, therefore, retreated across the river.
After these experiences, Bacon later died, and the wealthy landowners who supported
Bacon took their loyalty back to the government of Virginia, and Berkeley returned to power.
After he returned to power, he took all the properties of those who rebelled against him, and 23
men got executed through hanging. The revolt between Berkeley and Bacon impacted both the
Black and White people in many ways. It planted the seed d of Race-based slavery. After this
rebellion, the White planters enacted fast to the fury among the Black Virginians who were part
of the Bacon rebellion. Before this rebellion, there were no mush differences between the White
and the Black people. However, the rebellion was an increased distinguishment between African
Descent and the people of European descent. This was where laws started being established, and
the people from African Descent got referred to as hereditary enslaved people.
After reading the sources and formulating my own opinions on the Nathaniel Bacons'
rebellion, I believe that both Bacon and Berkeley would have agreed on how to deal with the
2 Rice, James D.9Tales from a revolution: Bacon's rebellion and the transformation of early America. New
Narratives in American His, 2013.
situation at hand instead of resulting in a severe conflict. If there had been solved, some of the
significant consequences witnessed after the conflict would have been avoided. In my view, I
feel that the Bacon rebellion brought more problems than those which were initially there. For
instance, race lines related to slavery from this rebellion became more severe. The colony began
controlling some of the poor planters in Virginia through this. My topic of further research will
be more centered on the impacts of the Bacon rebellion and the aftermath of the rebellion chose
this topic because I would like to know more about what happened after Bacon died and what
happened to his supporters. Also, I would like to know whether they are any Bacon achievement
after organizing the rebellion and whether some of his grievances were considered by Berkeley.
1
Bibliography
Iverson, Justin. "Enslaved rebels fight for freedom: Nathaniel Bacon’s 1676 slave rebellion."9Atlantic
Studies918, no. 2 (2021): 271-288
Rice, James D.9Tales from a revolution: Bacon's rebellion and the transformation of early America.
New Narratives in American His, 2013.
