Revised Draft

Bacons Rebellion had many effects on the colonies as well as the future of the United States of America. Many people assume that the leader of this important event would be highly respected and regarded as a hero. However those who know a little about the Rebellion know that this is not necessarily true. Nathanial Bacon is viewed in many conflicting ways. A hero, a villain, a traitor, and a visionary. As a historical figure, why is Nathanial Bacon viewed in so many conflicting ways? These conflicting ideals are probably due to the how multi-sided Bacon was as a person.

Common sense tends to dictate that the only act of Bacon's that is not debatable is the fact that he lead a rebellion of poor farmers and the lower class of the colonies against what he thought were the main threats to their welfare. The natives, who were upset with the colonists for intruding on their lands, the government who was refusing to provide protection, or give permission to the colonists to protect themselves. He organized militias, and united these demoralized people against something.

In fact they celebrate the fact that Bacon was their gracious leader. Life was far from easy for the colonists, and no one seemed to care about their safety or well being. The dropping price of tobacco, which was a major export for the settlements, resulted in the same amount of work for a lot less money. Not surprisingly, all of these factors lead to a very volatile situation. The oppression the colonists began to feel from the government, who were implementing more taxes and refusing to protect them from the nearby Indians only added fuel to the fire.

Bacon was the beacon of hope to these people. According to Robert Beverley “In a word, he was everyway qualified to head a giddy and unthinking multitude.” , and this was a role that Bacon accepted and fulfilled to the best of his abilities. He organized and orchestrated a plan to overthrow and undermine the government, as well as formulated a plan to protect the frontiers from native invasion and attack. He took office in the government and did his best to help the people in a cause that he truly cared about. This part of Bacons life is hard to debate. How he carried out his plans are where the true debate begins.

Many colonists assumed that that the Indians that surrounded them were dangerous and wanted them to be eliminated from Virginia. Most of these Indians however lived on treaty protected land. Therefore Governor Berkley and the government were hesitant to attack. This hesitance made the colonists suspicious that Berkley was more sympathetic to the Indians then to his own people. These suspicions were a major factor in Bacons decision to organize militias to march against the Indians, even though the governor did not approve.

This gave colonists, who had never been sympathetic to the natives, justification to kill. Possibly because of the oppression they felt, combined with the dismal conditions, this soon got out of hand. “The [Indians] began and killed one of our men, which we quickly repaid them, firing in at all their men (inside the fort) so thick that the groans of men women and children were so loud, that with all their howling and singing could not hinder them from being heard.” This anonymous account paints a clear picture of how many of these battles were fought. The collective short fuse of the colonists, lead to innocent men and women and sometimes even children being killed. Even the SusqueHanoughs, who had been friendly toward the colonists since their landing in America, were not safe from Bacon’s forces. As more and more Indians died at the hands of Bacons men, more and more Indians began to see him as a villainous murderer.

Yet another varying view of Bacon is that of a traitor. This view was chiefly adopted by Governor William Berkley himself. Berkley adopted this view after Bacon defied his direct orders. Before the rebellion, Bacon had requested many times that he be able to lead forces against the Indians with Berkley’s permission. Each time he requested this, Berkley turned him down. Bacon eventually carried out his plans, which infuriated the Governor.

His opinions of Bacon are best condensed in his Declaration against the proceedings of Nathanial Bacon where he states “I am so conscious of human frailty and my own defects, that I will not only acknowledge them, but repent of and amend them, and not, like the rebel Bacon, persist in an error only because I have committed it”. In that same Declaration he also states “I have lived thirty-four years amongst you, as uncorrupt and diligent as ever Governor was; Bacon is a man of two years amongst you, his person and qualities unknown to most of you, and to all men else, by any virtuous action that ever I heard of. And that very action which he boasts of was sickly and foolishly, and, as I am informed, treacherously carried to the dishonor of the English nation; yet in it he lost more men than I did in three years' war”. You can tell from these two quotes that Berkley definitely felt threatened by the power that Bacon had over his people. This is probably why he decided to declare Bacon as a traitor and issue an order for his capture. However, his fears were well founded and he was twice forced out of Jamestown by supporters of the rebellion.

In the end, Bacon died of natural causes and the rebellion died soon after. Supporters were hunted out and killed, but the ideals Bacon implanted in the minds of the colonists lived on. His was the first major rebellion in the new world, and his ideals along with his insistence on the right to bear arms played a major part in the forming of the constitution. This is just another varying view of the Bacon.

As you can see, it is hard for us, who can only relive his story through words in books and secondary retellings, to pick a side. At the same time that I believe that Bacon was nothing short of a murderer who instilled mob mentality into unpredictable minds, I also believe that the ideals that he instilled help in the forming of American ideals even before there was an America. Every side has its evidence to support it. Every side was formed because Nathanial Bacon had a great ability to appeal to people’s emotions. No matter how you view Bacon you have to agree that he was a master at that ability. He demonstrates this ability in every view, whether it be on the side of the natives, colonists or government.

The colonists followed him because he represented what the new world was supposed to mean. A world different from the one they had just left. No more unfounded taxes or oppressive government. They had all wanted a new start and ended up in the same situation as they had just left. Bacon was their chance to get what they had been promised. He represented a true new world and the colonists quickly fell in line behind him. He used his abilities to build an army to follow him. An army that bailed him out many times, an army that was hunted and killed after his death for doing so.

The Natives hated him because he represented the worst kind of colonist. The kind that was ready and able to take away their land, even if they were protected by treaty. He organized the men who were sent to kill them and take away the land that had rightfully been theirs since before the colonists even knew there was a new world. His followers were thought of as malicious and dark hearted. He instilled a fear in them that would cause turmoil between the colonists and the natives for years to come.

Governor Berkley was angry with him, because he was causing a disturbance in the peace he had tried so hard to create in Virginia. Being a governor in a time where the colonies were just beginning to get settled was not an easy job. Berkley had a record to be proud of at the time, and Bacon represented a horrible black mark on that record. He was trying to destroy everything the governor was trying to build.

Nathanial Bacon was a man of many sides. He had a huge influence on many different aspects of the 17th century. For this multidimensionality his memory and legacy are viewed in many conflicting ways. He was a huge historical figure of not only his time but in all that followed him. No matter how you choose to see him, his memory should be respected for the contributions he made.