Bacons Rebellion Essay -- American History Nathaniel Bacon Papers

Bacon's Rebellion Sometimes there comes an event in American History in which no one knows exactly why it happened. What the motives of the event were are left to the interpretation of the historian doing the research. Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 was on such event. Wilcomb E. Washburn’s view is precise when he states, â€Å" Bacon’s Rebellion. . .was an event on which observers could agree on the facts, but divide on the interpretation.† Historians have been picking into peoples’ accounts and versions of the legend for over 3 centuries, but never coming to a common conclusion. One fact is for sure and that is that the rebellion, known as Bacon’s, was what was going to pave the way towards Revolution of British Authority. In this paper I will look at one aspect that I feel was the motivation behind one individual's defiance to authority and the need to take matters regarding Indian relations into his own hands. Bacon was the kind of person to take what he thought was right into his own hands, even if it meant that he was breaking the law. In his eyes he was doing right and if he did not have the official support, he was going to do it anyway. On the other side was the feeble and zealous Governor of Virginia, Sir William Berkeley. The Rebellion was also called, â€Å" the first protest against royal authority in America.† Sir William Berkeley was the second cousin of Bacon. Not wanting for the relations with the Indians to deteriorate, Berkeley did not thirst for an all out war in order to control the growing Indian crisis. He believed that the Indians should be punished for killing the settlers and wreaking havoc on their lives, however, not in the magnitude that Bacon had ... ...ution-an HTML Project. Accessed on 7 October 2000. Available at http://odur.let.rug.n1/~usa/D/1651-1700/bacon_rebel/berke.htm Mooy, Age. â€Å"Bacon’s Declaration in the Name of the People (30 July 1676)†, The American Revolution-an HTML Project. Accessed on 7 October 2000. Available at http://odur.let.rug.n1/~us/D/1651-1700/bacon_rebel/bacon.htm Washburn, Wilcomb E. The Governor and The Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia. North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1957. Webb, Stephen Saunders. 1676: The End of American Independence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1984. Wertenbaker, Thomas Jefferson. Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon’s Rebellion and its Leader. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1940. William & Mary College Historical Magazine. Vol. 9, Issue I. (July, 1900) Bacon's Rebellion Essay -- American History Nathaniel Bacon Papers Bacon's Rebellion Sometimes there comes an event in American History in which no one knows exactly why it happened. What the motives of the event were are left to the interpretation of the historian doing the research. Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 was on such event. Wilcomb E. Washburn’s view is precise when he states, â€Å" Bacon’s Rebellion. . .was an event on which observers could agree on the facts, but divide on the interpretation.† Historians have been picking into peoples’ accounts and versions of the legend for over 3 centuries, but never coming to a common conclusion. One fact is for sure and that is that the rebellion, known as Bacon’s, was what was going to pave the way towards Revolution of British Authority. In this paper I will look at one aspect that I feel was the motivation behind one individual's defiance to authority and the need to take matters regarding Indian relations into his own hands. Bacon was the kind of person to take what he thought was right into his own hands, even if it meant that he was breaking the law. In his eyes he was doing right and if he did not have the official support, he was going to do it anyway. On the other side was the feeble and zealous Governor of Virginia, Sir William Berkeley. The Rebellion was also called, â€Å" the first protest against royal authority in America.† Sir William Berkeley was the second cousin of Bacon. Not wanting for the relations with the Indians to deteriorate, Berkeley did not thirst for an all out war in order to control the growing Indian crisis. He believed that the Indians should be punished for killing the settlers and wreaking havoc on their lives, however, not in the magnitude that Bacon had ... ...ution-an HTML Project. Accessed on 7 October 2000. Available at http://odur.let.rug.n1/~usa/D/1651-1700/bacon_rebel/berke.htm Mooy, Age. â€Å"Bacon’s Declaration in the Name of the People (30 July 1676)†, The American Revolution-an HTML Project. Accessed on 7 October 2000. Available at http://odur.let.rug.n1/~us/D/1651-1700/bacon_rebel/bacon.htm Washburn, Wilcomb E. The Governor and The Rebel: A History of Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia. North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Press, 1957. Webb, Stephen Saunders. 1676: The End of American Independence. New York: Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1984. Wertenbaker, Thomas Jefferson. Torchbearer of the Revolution: The Story of Bacon’s Rebellion and its Leader. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1940. William & Mary College Historical Magazine. Vol. 9, Issue I. (July, 1900)