Declaration of the People of Virginia 1676 - The main grievances leveled at the Governor of Virginia colony, Sir William Berkeley:
Taxation
Judicial corruption
Personal enrichment
Failure to protect English colonists
Protection of the colonists against the Indians
"For having protected, favored, and emboldened the Indians against his Majesty's loyal subjects" and "... for then having expressly countermanded and sent back our army by passing his word for the peaceable demeanor of the said Indians."
Key Terms
Declaration of the People of Virginia 1676 - The main grievances leveled at the Governor of Virginia colony, Sir William Berkeley:
Taxation
Judicial corruption
Personal enrichment
Failure to protect English colonists
Protection of the colonists against the Indians
"For having protected, favored, and emboldened the Indians against his Majesty's loyal subjects" and "... for then having expressly countermanded a...
Bacon's Rebellion, popular revolt in colonial Virginia in 1676, led by Nathaniel Bacon. Caused by high taxes, low prices for tobacco, and resentment against special privileges given those close to the governor, Sir William Berkeley.
The rebellion was precipitated by Berkeley's failure to defend the frontier against attacks by Native Americans.
Bacon commanded two unauthorized but successful expeditions against the tribes and was then elected to the new house of burgesses, which Berkeley had been forced to convene. When he attempted to take his seat, Berkeley had him arrested.
Soon released, Bacon gathered his supporters, marched on Jamestown, and coerced Berkeley into granting him a commission to continue his campaigns a...
A circumspect assembly then passed several reform measures. The governor, having failed to raise a force against Bacon, fled to the Eastern Shore.
Berkeley gathered enough strength to return to Jamestown, where he proclaimed Bacon and his men rebels and traitors,
After a sharp skirmish Bacon recaptured the capital (Berkeley again took flight) but, fearing that he could not hold it against attack, set fire to the town.
Bacon now controlled the colony, but he died suddenly (Oct., 1676), and without his leadership the rebellion collapsed.
After a few months Berkeley returned to wreak a bloody vengeance before he was forced to return to England. Berkeley's removal and the end of attacks by Native Americans were the only benefits the yeomen had won in the rebellion, and the tidewater aristocracy long maintained its power.
After an investigative committee returned its report to King Charles II, Berkeley was relieved of the governorship, and recalled to England.
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Declaration of the People of Virginia 1676 - The main grievances leveled at the Governor of Virginia colony, Sir William Berkeley: | "For having protected, favored, and emboldened the Indians against his Majesty's loyal subjects" and "... for then having expressly countermanded and sent back our army by passing his word for the peaceable demeanor of the said Indians." |
Bacon's Rebellion, popular revolt in colonial Virginia in 1676, led by Nathaniel Bacon. Caused by high taxes, low prices for tobacco, and resentment against special privileges given those close to the governor, Sir William Berkeley. | The rebellion was precipitated by Berkeley's failure to defend the frontier against attacks by Native Americans. |
Bacon commanded two unauthorized but successful expeditions against the tribes and was then elected to the new house of burgesses, which Berkeley had been forced to convene. When he attempted to take his seat, Berkeley had him arrested. | Soon released, Bacon gathered his supporters, marched on Jamestown, and coerced Berkeley into granting him a commission to continue his campaigns against Native Americans. |
A circumspect assembly then passed several reform measures. The governor, having failed to raise a force against Bacon, fled to the Eastern Shore. | Berkeley gathered enough strength to return to Jamestown, where he proclaimed Bacon and his men rebels and traitors, |
After a sharp skirmish Bacon recaptured the capital (Berkeley again took flight) but, fearing that he could not hold it against attack, set fire to the town. | Bacon now controlled the colony, but he died suddenly (Oct., 1676), and without his leadership the rebellion collapsed. |
After a few months Berkeley returned to wreak a bloody vengeance before he was forced to return to England. Berkeley's removal and the end of attacks by Native Americans were the only benefits the yeomen had won in the rebellion, and the tidewater aristocracy long maintained its power. | After an investigative committee returned its report to King Charles II, Berkeley was relieved of the governorship, and recalled to England. |
"The fear of civil war among whites frightened Virginia's ruling elite, who took steps to consolidate power and improve their image: for example, restoration of property qualifications for voting, reducing taxes and adoption of a more aggressive Indian policy. | Indentured servants both black and white joined the frontier rebellion. Seeing them united in a cause alarmed the ruling class. Historians believe the rebellion hastened the hardening of racial lines associated with slavery, as a way for planters and the colony to control some of the poor. |
Headright System - A system of obtaining land in colonial times in which one received fifty acres of land for every emigrant to America one sponsored. | The headright system began in Jamestown, Virginia in 1618 as an attempt to solve labor shortages due to the advent of the tobacco economy, which required large plots of land with many workers. |
During Bacon's Rebellion on July 30, 1676, Nathaniel Bacon and his army issue the "Declaration of the People of Virginia." | The Declaration of the People was produced by Nathaniel Bacon detailing the grievances of the colonists of Virginia, written in opposition to the Governor of Virginia, Sir William Berkeley. |
Declaration of the People of Virginia 1676 | Bacon's Rebellion was the first rebellion in the American Colonies. Bacon's Rebellion and the Declaration of the People of Virginia set a precedent for future Americans to obtain equality. |
Takeaways of Bacon's Rebellion: CLASS | CLASS: It exposed resentments between backcountry frontiersmen against wealthy planters in Virginia. The elite worried about poor whites and black Virginians rebelling together. |
Takeaways of Bacon's Rebellion: RACE | RACE: Plantation owners gradually replaced indentured servants with African slaves and became the primary labor forces, creating a cruel institution in the American colonies. |