Bacon’s Rebellion
Instructor Pacas
The Colonial Population of Virginia
Like any other European colony of the New
World, Virginia was a very stratified society.
Practically 6% of the population owned most of
the wealth.
93% of the population lived in squalid
conditions.
Perhaps with 1% comprising people with
moderate means.
Cont’d
The 6% of that society at this time
accrued their wealth by permission of the
British government.
Their wealth was assured by their loyalty
to the British government.
This elite exploited the labor of the
majority of the population in society.
Labor Force
The majority of labor in Virginia was composed
of indentured servants both Africans and whites
+ some African slaves.
By this time African slavery had become an
acceptable way of supplementing the labor
force.
Because life was difficult Africans and whites
often assisted each other to survive.
Law and Legality Tools of Social Control
The fraternization of blacks and whites worried
many of the wealthier sector.
The elite recognized that conditions were ripe
for rebellion.
Virginia early on in its history began to pass laws
that made it illegal for whites and blacks to
fraternize.
Of course these laws were much more severe
for blacks caught than whites.
Cont’d
Usually the penalties depended on the ‘crime’:
Blacks and whites caught running away from
service would receive lashes (fewer for whites
than blacks).
Depending on gender and your position in
society- if caught in a sexual act the punishment
would be as follows:
black men would be killed
white women, men and black women would
receive lashes.
Questions
What was the role of ‘Law’ in these
instances?
What role did race play if any in
Virginia’s society at this time?
Wealth and Power
You needed to own land in order to vote.
You also needed to own a lot of land in order to
participate in politics.
Society in colonial Virginia was ruled by the
wealthy minority.
There was no actual ability under these
conditions for any upward socio-economic
mobility.
Land Distribution
Because most of the territory was in the
possession of the 6% conditions were bleak for
the major part of the population.
Because the vote and political life was closed off
to much of the population who did not own land.
Because you could only change things politically
if you acquired more land-
Many individuals sought to acquire more land
through encroachment into Native American
Territory.
Colonial Virginia
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Rise of Class Consciousness
Nathaniel Bacon was a rich man but not
wealthy.
He wanted to rise in the socio-economic
ladder of colonial Virginia.
He recognized that the only way this could
be achieved was to acquire more territory
from the Native Americans.
As a pretext to try to accomplish these
means he requested assistance from the
government of Virginia to send troops to
assist the back-country communities that
bordered Native Americans against
provoked raids by Natives.
Cont’d
The problem was that if a war ensued from
these military activities it could be too costly for
the 6%.
If on the other hand Bacon mounted his own
expedition with the assistance of the back-
country communities and they were successful
the territory would fall to Bacon and his men.
Cont’d
If this happened it was possible that Bacon’s
influence would grow and he might wrest
power away from the 6%.
This sort of redistribution of wealth and the
democratization of Virginia that would follow
worried the elite (6%).
Its possible that Bacon understood this and
wanted to capitalize on the elite’s inactivity and
fears.
Cont’d
Presenting it as lack of concern for their safety to
the back country communities on the part of the
government of Virginia.
Bacon was able to mount an assault on
Jamestown with the hope to overthrow the
established elite and set himself up in control.
His rebellion was put down by Royal Troops.
What was required to mount the ‘Rebellion’
Forego tools of social control.
Racism- (In a society that had begun to utilize the law
and racism as a tool of social control against combined
efforts against the elite - the ‘rebels’ required to look
past racial differences).
Develop Class Consciousness- (They also had
to come to the self realization that they were being
exploited by a common enemy-colonial elite 6%).
Cont’d
Once having established this they next
needed to realize how and what to do in
order to effect a positive change.
Bacon’s Revolution vs. Rebellion
Why was/has Nathaniel Bacon’s
movement to redistribute wealth and
create a more democratic society in
Virginia not been presented this
particular way in traditional
mainstream history?