Draft for Bacon's Rebellion Essay

As many know, politics was one of the major causes and issues in Bacon’s Rebellion. Indian raids on plantations forced colonists to call for action. The governor, William Berkeley, did nothing to solve the problem. He wanted to stay on good terms with the Indians and called for the colonists to restrain themselves. Berkeley wanted to continue being able to trade with the Indians which was why he wanted to maintain good relations. I would think that if Indians were attacking the people that Berkeley governed over, he would have done something about it but maybe he was just a really pitiful governor. Of course, perhaps Berkeley thought that the more allies he had the better. But then again what is the point of having allies if all one’s underlings are dead? Luckily though, Berkeley took the Indians powder and ammunition away. He tried to set up a meeting with the chiefs but it ended with many of them being killed. If the situation was not bad enough, I have a feeling it was going to become worse seeing as many of the chief’s were dead.
The situation continued to decline after Nathaniel Bacon retaliated against the Indians. In his attempt to get back at the Indians, Bacon attacked the wrong Indians causing raids on a large scale to commence. I assume that Bacon accidentally attacked the wrong Indians because I would assume that he did not want anymore Indians against him or the colonists. Usually in war, one would strive to keep away from gaining more enemies to help lessen problems. Bacon went to Berkeley to try and get a commission to lead the local forces against the Indians. Berkeley denied him many times but Bacon finally had enough, surrounded the statehouse, and demanded that he get his commission or he would shoot several of the Burgesses. Berkeley had no choice but to give in. I think that it was wise of Berkeley to give Bacon his commission because the last thing that was needed was more colonist bloodshed. Bacon though, I feel, was a little too drastic in his actions to get a commission. Bacon later issued The Declaration of the People. After he captured Jamestown, Bacon wanted to make his success whole. I believe he did this to every person in Jamestown on his side who was not already. Bacon’s mistake though was letting Berkeley go free after the capture of Jamestown. Later, in an act of rage, Bacon burned down Jamestown on September 19, 1676. The burning of Jamestown was a rather foolish choice I think because I feel that it would make the colonists more open for attack from Indians.
Not much later after Jamestown was burned, Bacon became ill. On October 26th, 1676 Bacon died of the Bloody Flux and Lousey Disease. After Bacon’s death, Berkeley was able to regain control. He hung all the major contributors of the rebellion. I think he did that because he disliked having his power taken away from him and then went overboard when he got that power back. Berkeley, I feel, went way overboard with how many people he hung instead of just accepting what happened and letting it go. Not much sooner, did an investigation committee arrive from England to look into the matter. Berkeley was relieved of his position as governor and was ordered to return to England. He died before he was able to give his report to the king about what happened. I find it ironic that Berkeley went so far to keep the power that he had and then did something foolish which lost him his power.
One would think that Bacon’s Rebellion would have transformed the society of the Chesapeake. In actuality, the resolution of the rebellion did very little to change Chesapeake society. The only true benefit was that the Indians stopped attacking the colonists. I would say that the cease of Indian raids would be a great thing because the colonists would not have to worry about being attacked or killed. At the least, the colonists would not have to worry about the Indians as much, maybe not completely but less. Politically, the Chesapeake was not transformed after the rebellion. Even though Berkeley was relieved as governor, the Tidewater aristocracy continued to maintain its power. I find it rather sad that the colonists had to trade one poorly run and at least semi corrupt government for another. Also, there was less of a need for the servant-labor system after the rebellion. This was able to contribute to long-term political stability. Instead, slaves were imported making the need for short term servants smaller. I think that in a political sense, more could have been done to change the Chesapeake but what exactly could have been done, I do not know. As anyone can see, the resolution of Bacon’s Rebellion did very little to change Chesapeake society. The changes that were made though generally were not for the better.
The political theme can be related to my life, today. Politics seem almost as bad today as they were back before, during, and after Bacon’s Rebellion. Our government is almost or just as corrupt as it was back in Bacon’s time. In terms of personal experience I am still too young to have the government affect me on a larger scale. I can though relate the theme of politics to what I know about and see in them today. Often it seems that the government raises taxes only to give themselves more money and larger salaries. They do not seem to care that regular, hard working adults do just as much work as them for only a portion of the pay. Government and political officials work just as hard as regular people so I believe that they should get no special treatment or privileges. From my point of view, political officials do not seem to care that much about the common people either. As the government becomes more and more corrupt, society seems to get worse and worse. People seem to have no respect for the laws nor do they seem to care. The government severely punishes people who commit little crimes but let people who commit large crimes off easy. Eventually people are going to get tired of all the problems and take matter into their own hands. At least I have a feeling that is what is going to happen.
As I said before, politics do not completely affect me just yet. In my school though, the political aspect is better by far. Like the government we are a democracy. Unlike the government though, we are not corrupt. Everyone in this school works just as hard as everyone else for equal reward. This of course differs from regular school which is run like a monarchy. The teachers told us what to do and that was it. We had no say in what went on in the school. As I get older, I see that politics begin to affect me more and become a more integral part of my life. As time goes on the government and our politics get worse. I hope that things start to turn for the better. I have a strong feeling though, that things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better.