Introduction

On June 30, 1676, Nathaniel Bacon issued "The Declaration of the People against Sr. William Berkeley." This inflammatory document accused Virginia's Royal Governor -- William Berkeley -- of abusing and betraying his fellow English settlers. Rather than defending the colonists and their frontier lands, the document alleged, Berkeley supported local Indians and allowed his friends to build up a prosperous trade with them. Nathaniel Bacon and his supporters hoped to make war against the Indians and secure English settlements on the frontier. When Governor Berkeley refused Bacon's requests for commission as leader of Virginia's colonial forces, however, Bacon organized the largest popular rebellion of the seventeenth century.

Assignment

You are to evaluate the significance of Bacon's Rebellion. Why did it begin? Who were the principal participants involved? How did the Rebellion develop? How did it end? Why does Edmund Morgan believe it was so significant?

Primary Sources

- "The Declaration of the People, against Sr: Wm: Berkeley," by Nathaniel Bacon [ link ]
- "Those That Have Been Executed For the Late Rebellion in Virginia," by William Berkeley [ link ]
- Virginia Slave Codes [ link ]

Secondary Sources

- Wilcomb E. Washburn, "Nathaniel Bacon," American National Biography Online Feb. 2000.  [ pdf ]
- Paul David Nelson, "Sir William Berkeley," American National Biography Online Feb. 2000. [ pdf ]
- Edmund Morgan, "Rebellion," from American Slavery American Freedom [ pdf ]
- Edmund Morgan, "Slavery and Freedom: The American Paradox," JAH (1972) pgs. 14-29 [ pdf ]



Optional Secondary Sources

- Overview: Bacon's Rebellion from Oxford American History [ pdf ]
- Littlejohn Class Notes: Virginia Settlement, 1607-1624 [ pdf ]
- Littlejohn Class Notes: Virginia Development, 1642-1700 [ pdf ]
- Africans in America: Bacon's Rebellion 1675-1676 [ link ]
- "PBS Says American Slavery was Natural" The Black Commentator [ link ]