CIS US History 1880
Bacon's Rebellion
In 1676, tensions were escalating. A lot people were angry with what was going on in the colonies and soon enough, a rebellion was arising. A resident of Virginia, Nathaniel Bacon, lead the rebellion, hence the name “Bacon’s Rebellion.” In this rebellion there were many different sides. Many of the happenings were recorded and documented, but all different in their own way, like how the final outcomes were, why and how the rebellion happened and lastly who led the rebellion.
Robert Beverley, Virginia’s earliest historians and contemporary of Nathaniel Bacon. Beverley stated in his article that there were four parts to the rebellion. The first part was the act of the 25 Car. II. It secured the plantation trade by putting duties on from one plantation to another. The second part was the lowered tobacco prices, the Farmers were not making enough and what made it worse was that King Charles II raised taxes on the poor and put taxes on seventy, fifty, and thirty pounds of tobacco. These men were nearly unable to clothe and feed their families. Thirdly Indians in the Frontier were attacking country men. A lot of people started to quit their jobs and volunteered against the Indians (Beverley, pp. 95-96). This is the moment in time were Nathaniel decided to come help these men. Nathaniel Bacon and his faithful followers “revenged their sufferings upon Indians” (Beverley, pp. 96). Lastly it affected the fisheries, whereas the fishermen ended up paying more duties on their own fish that they caught than the British, in which the British were eating the fish.
Beverley states that Bacon was made one of the council, and had a moderate fortune. According to Beverly, Nathaniel Bacon was a guy who people liked; he was the guy to go to. He states that Bacon was “in great honor and esteem among the people” and had “an inviting aspect” and a “powerful elocution” (Beverley, pp. 97).
During one part of the article