Portfolio: Essay 1: Bacon's Rebellion

-------Some say that Nathaniel Bacon was a murderer. Others call him a hero. While many recognize him as a revolutionary. Different people have had different opinions throughout the different time periods. Nathaniel Bacon was the starter and leader of Bacon’s Rebellion, and has been the subject of many discussions. His actions during the rebellion are very controversial. He’s known to have rallied colonists against Governor William Berkeley and vie for justice in Virginia. But one important aspect of his rebellion that is often times overlooked is his attitude and treatment toward Native Americans. It is evident that Bacon harbored much animosity toward Native Americans, and this animosity was shown in his acts of hostility and violence. Also, many fail to recognize the unlawfulness of Bacon and his rebellion. Not only did he break the laws of Virginia, but he attacked Jamestown and several of the colonists that lived there. Bacon's violence didn’t stop there either. Bacon also attacked and killed masses of Native Americans, many of whom had never done anything hostile toward him. So, although some might recognize Bacon's Rebellion as a revolutionary even in American history, it was essentially a crusade of terrorism that resulted in the deaths of hundreds.


-------Bacon’s Rebellion was an uprising of poor farmers and former indentured servants in the Virginia colonies. It took place in the autumn of 1676, a time when Virginia was under the authority of an English governor named William Berkeley. Nathaniel Bacon rallied the inhabitants of Virginia against Governor Berkeley and rich plantation owners, and helped lead several attacks on various Native American tribes. There were a number of causes of these acts of violence. For one, the Virginia government repeatedly collected large taxes from the poor farmers and never explained what they were doing to their tax money. Another cause of the rebellion was that Native American tribes were consistently attacking many of the poor farmers and frontiersmen in Virginia. And poor farmers felt as though Governor Berkeley was not making any adequate attempts at stopping the Natives American attacks. Ironically, these Native American attacks were actually provoked by the poor farmers and frontiersmen who were encroaching on the Native American land in the first place. All of these frustrations finally led to a revolt against the Native Americans and the Virginia government. The poor farmers, under the leadership of Nathaniel Bacon, rebelled with political dissent and unlawful violence. They attacked and seized Jamestown, fought and killed many Native Americans, and sacked the plantations of wealthy farmers. Governor Berkeley and his troops fought back, and eventually recaptured Jamestown. After three months of continuous fighting, Bacon suddenly died of dysentery. Presently, several English ships, which were full of English soldiers, arrived in Virginia to reinforce Governor Berkeley. At this time, the rebellion was all but defeated. Governor Berkeley put an end to the rebellion by hanging Bacon’s allies and destroying farms that belonged to Bacon’s supporters. Ultimately, the rebellion failed. It didn’t produce any changes that Bacon and the rebels had been hoping for. But it did have some effects on the attitudes and mindsets of the inhabitants of Virginia during that time period. And even today, Americans are still intrigued by the story, and continue to converse and debate about the significance of such an event.


-------In discussions of Bacon’s Rebellion, one controversial issue has been the interactions between the violent rebels and the Native Americans. On the one hand, some contend that the rebel attacks on Native Americans were overly cruel and unjustified. Events recorded by writers like Michael J Puglisi shed on some of the violence that occurred during Bacon’s Rebellion. On page seventy-eight of his article, "Whether They be Friends or Foes," Puglisi recounts that "Bacon's extra-legal army, bent on revenge, attacked the peaceful Indian village, located in the Dragon Swamp, although it was well known to the whole country that the Queen of Pamunkey and her People had never at any time betrayed or injured the English." In making this comment, Puglisi is illustrating the inhumanity of Bacon and his actions. Bacon and his forces attacked a settlement of Native Americans that had never done any harm to them. Puglisi goes on to say, "The natives, including their leader, fled. Bacon and his forces followed, killing and taking them prisoners, and looking for... Plunder." Basically, Puglisi is showing how Bacon and his supporters unfairly and needlessly terrorized the Native Americans. The Natives were the victims here, and the rebels killed as many Natives as they could and ransacked their possessions. Puglisi realized that Bacon had an unreasonable thirst for revenge on the Native Americans. And this vengefulness was one of the main motivating factors for Bacon's barbarous actions. The writer Howard Zinn agrees on page thirty-seven of his book, "A Young People's History of the United States", when he writes about Bacon: "he probably cared more about fighting Indians than about helping the poor." And it’s clear that when Bacon was killing Native Americans, he didn’t care about whether or not the Natives were hostile or friendly. Observe the quote by the Royal Commissioners in A True Narrative of the Late Rebellion in Virginia which says, “Bacon had got over the [James] River with his Forces and hastening away into the woods, went directly and fell upon the Indians and killed some of them [which] were some of our best Friends…” Bacon and the rebels hastily went into Native American territory and killed Native Americans that were “best friends” with the colonists. This is illustrating the unfair cruelness that the rebellion inflicted upon friendly the Native Americans. It is evident that the described violence was misdirected and unwarranted.


-------But on the other hand, some argue that Bacon and his rebels were justified in their attacks against Native Americans. There were, in fact, many instances where Native Americans would attack and kill defenseless white colonists. Even women and children would get killed. Bacon's solution was to no longer be defenseless, but to instead take up arms and repel the savage attacks. An anonymous Virginia resident who was present during Bacon’s Rebellion wrote, "for in a very short time [in January 1676, the Susquehannahs] had, in a most inhumane manner, [murdered] no less than 60 innocent people, no ways guilty of any [actual] injury [done] to these ill disarning, brutish heathen," (document #5). An interesting parallel to Bacon’s killings, the Susquhannah Indians attacked and killed sixty innocent colonists in a “most inhumane manner.” This recounting is a key example of Native American brutality toward innocent colonists. The cruelty of the Native Americans is expounded by the writings of Elizabeth Bacon, who was Nathaniel Bacon's wife. In a letter to Nathaniel Bacon's sister in London, Elizabeth Bacon writes, "I pray God keep the worst Enemy I have from ever being in such a sad condition as I have been in since my (previous letter to you), occasioned by the troublesome Indians,"(document #9). Elizabeth Bacon felt that the terror being caused by the Native Americans was so cruel, that no human should ever have to experience it. Not even her "worst enemy," which in this case would probably be the Native Americans themselves. So Elizabeth Bacon—and probably many other colonists at that time—were not hell-bent on taking vengeance on the Native Americans. Instead, there seemed to be a longing for some relief, restitution, and change. And this is exactly what Nathaniel Bacon had hoped to bring to the Virginia colonies. As Bacon stated in his very own words, "finding that the country was basely for a small and sordid gain betrayed, and the lives and fortunes of the poor inhabitants wretchedly sacrificed, [I] resolved to stand up in this ruinous gap, and rather expose my life and fortune to all hazards than basely desert my post and by so bad an example make desolate a whole country in which no one dared to stir against the common Enemy," (document #12). These words convey Bacon’s devotion to his people and his desire for the safety of those who could not defend themselves. Basically, Bacon wanted to bring a positive change to the Virginia colonies. He understood that his life would be at stake, but he still refused to stand idly by as his fellow colonists continued to suffer.

-------Both sides of the argument have their merits. It's a well-know fact that Bacon led a rebellion which killed many Native Americans. However, under the circumstances, this would be the right thing to do. The poor farmers and their families were under constant attack by Native American tribes, so it's only human nature to defend and retaliate. If my family were under attack, I would be much oblige to take up arms and fight. And that's exactly what the rebels did. The problem is that Bacon and his rebels didn't stop there; they took it further. Not only did they assault the violent tribes, but they also attacked the more peaceful ones also. That, in my opinion, is where they cross the line. As we've already observed, Bacon and his rebels killed innocent women, children, men, and ransacked the Native American villages. Realistically, this is exactly what the violent Native Americans had done to the colonists in the first place. So Bacon and his rebels decided to fight terror with more terror, which would only create more bloodshed. Was this aspect of the rebellion justified? It was no more justified than the Native American attacks on the colonies. In my opinion, this rebellion is a perfect example of what not to do. Hopefully people will continue to look back and learn a lesson from history.


-------Bacon’s Rebellion conveys an important lesson to today’s population. From the rebellion, we learn and understand that small insurgence and pockets of rebellion don’t work on a national level. We’ve come to an age where nations have the power to destroy entire cities. The nations of this world could, if they all wanted to, destroy the planet. Not that anyone would want to do that, but the fact is that the kingdoms and nations of this day have become much too powerful to simply oppose with violence. Just like in Bacon’s day. The rebellion was able to last three months before it was crushed. The rebels could not successful overturn Governor Berkeley. And the rebels stood no chance at all when a few war ships arrived from mainland England. England, as an empire, had just gotten too strong. There was no way that Bacon and his rebel force could have made any real change through their rebellion and violence. Just like in today’s world, the best thing that Bacon could have done to make a change would be to act politically. Don’t act in violence, but instead work in the political arena. Use your rights, privileges, and laws to make a change. If Bacon had tried to do it that way, he could have potentially spared hundreds of innocent lives. Bacon’s Rebellion realistically shows us the consequences of not operating properly in our own nation. If someone were to grab a sub-machine gun and go attack the White House with an angry mob, they wouldn’t stand a chance. They would instantly be either arrested, severely wounded, or probably killed. And those exact same results occurred in Bacon’s Rebellion. It just took a little longer than it would nowadays. Bacon died. Most of the rebels were killed off. And, in the end, the rebellion ultimately failed.

-------Bacon’s Rebellion was full of unnecessary deaths. Many innocent Native Americans and colonists were killed needlessly. Bacon and his rebels marched unlawfully on Jamestown, attacking English soldiers and government officials. They marched into Native American lands, killing indiscreetly and plundering for goods. Immense suffering was present both in English lands, and in Native American lands. And the blame doesn’t completely lie with Bacon and his rebels. The evil was two-fold. Bacon and his rebels were, in many ways very barbarous. Likewise, the hostile Native Americans were, in many ways, very barbarous. Those innocent (both white and Native American) were simply caught in the middle of all the carnage, and unfortunately received much of the consequences. It doesn’t matter who started the conflicts. Instead, someone has to know how to step up and end them.