Bacon's Rebellion Research Paper
The Bacon’s Rebellion was an uprising in Jamestown, Virginia in 1676 led by 29 year old planter Nathaniel Bacon. The uprising was caused by thousand of Virginians gathering all with the same resentment against the governor William Berkeley. Many were upset because of Berkeley's kind policies toward the American Indians. The Bacon’s Rebellion was a major turning point for America in many ways one being forced removal of Berkeley from office.
Governor William Berkeley favored the Indians even though the Indians were attacking the frontier settlements. The colonists wanted back the land they had lost because of the Indians by taking theirs. Colonists wanted Berkeley to retaliate against the Indians ,but because Berkeley wanted to continue his
fur trade with the Indians he didn’t retaliate against them. This decision angered the colonists causing a rebellion against the governor. This rebellion led to another rebellion in Maryland composed of angry indentured servants looking for land. This rebellion led to fear in the upper class society.
The upper class society feared that indentured servants would rebel again so they searched for an alternative source of cheap labor. Their search led to the founding of African American slavery they figured the the slaves would never be free and that they were free. Slavery went on an uprise as slavery increased indentured servitude decreased. Ten million slaves were brought to America, four hundred thousand of them were brought to North America. By 1670, seven percent of the Southern population were slaves. This led to a rise in wages in England leading to fewer young men coming to America by 1680. By the late 1600s indentured servitude was being replaced by slavery.
This rise in slavery caused the racial separation gap to widen. Blacks were only slaves to whites they were only property. Blacks had no rights ,yet whites were treated as regular citizens of America. The Bacon’s Rebellion changed America for the better or worst. It was a major turning point for not only the following reasons above ,but for many more. America would not be what it is today without the Bacon's Rebellion and what it led to. In the end the bacon’s Rebellion left a major mark on the world we know today.
Governor William Berkeley favored the Indians even though the Indians were attacking the frontier settlements. The colonists wanted back the land they had lost because of the Indians by taking theirs. Colonists wanted Berkeley to retaliate against the Indians ,but because Berkeley wanted to continue his
fur trade with the Indians he didn’t retaliate against them. This decision angered the colonists causing a rebellion against the governor. This rebellion led to another rebellion in Maryland composed of angry indentured servants looking for land. This rebellion led to fear in the upper class society.
The upper class society feared that indentured servants would rebel again so they searched for an alternative source of cheap labor. Their search led to the founding of African American slavery they figured the the slaves would never be free and that they were free. Slavery went on an uprise as slavery increased indentured servitude decreased. Ten million slaves were brought to America, four hundred thousand of them were brought to North America. By 1670, seven percent of the Southern population were slaves. This led to a rise in wages in England leading to fewer young men coming to America by 1680. By the late 1600s indentured servitude was being replaced by slavery.
This rise in slavery caused the racial separation gap to widen. Blacks were only slaves to whites they were only property. Blacks had no rights ,yet whites were treated as regular citizens of America. The Bacon’s Rebellion changed America for the better or worst. It was a major turning point for not only the following reasons above ,but for many more. America would not be what it is today without the Bacon's Rebellion and what it led to. In the end the bacon’s Rebellion left a major mark on the world we know today.