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Bacons rebellion (Click to select text)
In late 1675 and early 1776 the Doeg and Susquehannock Indians had a series of skirmishes with the colonist who were tobacco farmers in the Chesapeake region of Virginia. Nathaniel Bacon, a well-born Englishman wanted to lead an attack on the Native Americans, and punish them for their attacks on the colonist. Bacon petitioned the Governor of Virginia, William Berkeley, whom he was friends with, to authorize an attack on the Native Americans. Governor Berkeley refused, but an enraged Bacon led his army of over one thousand colonist volunteers on an attack of the Native Americans anyway. When Governor Berkeley heard this he ordered an arrest of Nathaniel Bacon. This enraged Bacon even more so he led his men on an attack against the Governor. The colony of Virginia was now in a civil war. During this war or revolution the capital city of Virginia, Jamestown, was burned to the ground. A period of burning and looting began by both sides of the ordeal, which did not end until 1676 when Nathaniel Bacon died of dysentery. The attack on the Native Americans might appear to be the only cause of Bacon's rebellion, but there were more. There were three main causes of Bacon's rebellion, one of which were the poor relations between Native Americans, and colonial tobacco farmers, and their fighting, which I have already mentioned. The others were the heavy trade sanctions of England and the tyrannical actions of Governor Berkeley. England was in a war in Europe with the Dutch and they were falling into a depression. In order to pull themselves out of their depression, they adopted a strict policy of Mercantilism. Mercantilism according to Webster's Dictionary is the doctrine that arose in Europe with the decline of feudalism, that the economic interest of the nation could be strengthened by the government by the protection of home industries, as through tariffs, by increasing foreign trade, and a balance of exports over imports. In other words it was a get rich quick scheme by England, to get rich off of the colonies. At this time in England there was a tobacco glut going on, thousands of Europeans became addicted to smoking and the colonist were exporting over three million pounds of tobacco a year. The King of England, King Charles saw his chance to make a lot of money off of this glut and the colonies. Therefore in the name of Mercantilism England passed the Navigational Acts, or Navigation System. This act forced all exports coming from the colonies to go to England to be taxed before they could be shipped anywhere else. This prevented the colonist from trading with other countries who paid a higher price for tobacco. This policy made tobacco prices higher, the demand for tobacco lower, and caused the colonies to fall into a depression, which had the colonist furious at their English rulers. The last cause of the rebellion, was the Governor Berkeley became a tyrant. I say became because at one time he was a very popular man who ruled with and easy hand and was very respected among the colonist. The colonies were under English control, but they did have one body of representatives in their colony, the Assembly. Governor Berkeley dismissed the Assembly and it's members and he took full control over Virginia. The colonist felt he was taking their natural rights, by taking away their voting privilege, and this too enraged the colonist. This along with the economic depression they were enduring caused by the Navigational Acts had the colonist on edge. When they got the spark they needed, and that spark being the ordeal with the Native Americans, they revolted against their English rulers. Nathaniel Bacon and his rebels became and influence and model to revolutionaries over one hundred years later during the American Revolution.
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