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Bacon’s Rebellion

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Bacon’s Rebellion
Introduction
The historical event discussed in this paper is Bacon’s rebellion. Bacon’s rebellion was an uprising in colonial Virginia in North America that took place in 1676. The rebellion was considered first in history. It was among the first uprising against British authority by the colony and it was the first event that Blacks and Whites, rich and poor, grouped together under one cause. The rebellion was led by Nathaniel Bacon, an Englishman who had recently settled in the Virginia Colony[1].
Background
Nathaniel Bacon He had extreme animosity towards Indians-hostile and friendly alike- and developed a worldview that all Indians must be wiped out in Virginia. Nathaniel Bacon was a wealthy 29 year old painter. He was a council at the governor’s office. He rose up as a leader of a group of freeholders (men who own lands and all immovable structures attached to the lands), who wanted to drive-out all the Indians in Virginia[2]. In 1674, these freeholders demanded that Indians should leave treaty protected lands or be killed. This group targeted all Indians, whether friendly or not, thus they are actually starting all out war against Indians. Hostility between Indians and the Free Holders broke out when Doeg Indians raided the farm of one of the Free Holders and stole a number of pigs. The raid was said to be a retaliatory attack by the Indians against the Free Holder because he did not pay them trade goods. Neighbors came to the rescue and fought back. One colonist was killed from the raid. Two militia captains pursued the Doeg. They have a history of aggression toward all Indians. The captains and their men, in the process, had indiscriminately fired against friendly Indians from the Susquehannock tribe and killed 14 of them[3]. In

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