In history, heroes are most commonly considered the protagonists of stories, while the villains and enemies are the antagonists. But in some stories this is not the case. Take for example, Adolf Hitler. He was probably the worst villain of all time and in the story of the Holocaust, he appears to be the protagonists because everyone was more concerned about him that the people that were trying to stop the Holocaust. He was the one person that everyone kept their eye on and wanted exterminated. Also, in the Spider-man trilogy, Peter Parker, Spider-man, starts out as the courageous hero of New York City in the first two movies. But in the third and final movie, he becomes a villainous snake to the community. Sometimes the expected hero in the beginning of a story doesn’t turn out to be the hero in the end. This is also true in the case of Bacon’s rebellion. The people thought Nathanial Bacon would be the hero that would help them defend themselves and take their land back from the Natives, but he was truly evil and was only interested in helping them to take their land for himself. So in the case of Bacon’s Rebellion, the villain got more attention than the hero like Hitler did during the Holocaust, thus making Bacon the villain and the main character or protagonist. Berkeley on the other hand was in the right and was still placed as the antagonist. In the classic interpretation of Bacon’s Rebellion people considered Nathanial Bacon to be the hero, but truly, Berkeley was the hero throughout Bacon’s Rebellion while Bacon was the rebel villain of Virginia.
Sir William Berkeley was the governor of the colony of Virginia in 1676. He was sent to the New World by the King of England to make sure the colonists stayed in line and under control of the King. Berkeley enforced many laws that were unknown to the colonists before Berkeley arrived. The middle and upper classes did not really have a problem with his new laws but the lower class and poor farmers were seriously disturbed by the new rules that the governor had put in place. The governor was aware that the Natives were invading and taking land from the colonists but did not decide to do anything about it. This may have been because he figured that the Natives were there first so they deserved the land over the colonists. Or he may have just thought nothing could be done about it because the Natives were savage beings that could probably overtake their entire town in a small period of time. One middle class citizen of Virginia was strongly against the government and their new plan for the colony, his name was Nathanial Bacon. Bacon decided to step up to the job and do something to try and help the poorer colonists that would not be able to survive the Native invasions and the new laws that Berkeley had put into action that stated that they could not invade the Native lands. He was a rebel and truly hated the governmental system. He went against everything that was supposed to be solid law in Virginia. So Bacon, being the law-breaking citizen that he was, decided to start a rebellion. “He gathered his militia [of poor colonists who disagreed with Berkeley] and began raiding the Indians [to attempt to get their land back]” (Zinn, p. 38). From that point on Bacon was considered a “traitor” and a “rebel”.
First, Bacon asked the government to provide him commission to help aid his army against the Native, but Berkeley would not agree to help him get rid of the Native Americans because he was a governor that stuck to his oath to keep the colonists under his control. This showed great leadership skills and the ability to do what seemed wrong at the time, but what was truly right in the end. Since Berkeley would not supply Bacon with commission, Bacon demanded "forced commission [which] was delivered to [him]" (document #29) with no questions asked after he had decide to raid the town and burn down multiple buildings and homes. He was very rude and forceful with his demands and didn't stop until he got what he wanted. Many colonists and people involved in the government considered Bacon to be a traitor because he went against the laws that were enforced by the government and he was doing everything he could to not obey the laws. Bacon was arrested for his foul behavior and failure to abide by the laws. Bacon was a proud rebel and did not care what others thought of him.
Berkeley made the right choice when he "sent [a letter] to the King for two thousand Redcoats" (document #39). He may have thought it shameful to have to write to the King for back-up soldiers to be sent to the New World to help him and his people defend themselves against the Natives and one of their own people, but it was in his best interest to save the colony and defeat Bacon. Bacon on the other hand, could not handle being unsuccessful. No matter what the situation, he found some way to blame his failures on others. He even tried to blame God for his wrong-doings. He said "God so infected his blood that it bred Lice in an incredible number so that for twenty days he never washed his shirts but burned them" (document #44). It was not God's fault that he could not succeed with his 'brilliant' plans to get rid of the Native Americans so that they would stop stealing land from the colonists. He should not have been such a coward, and should have taken the blame for his actions. Many colonists thought that they had “found a leader in Nathanial Bacon” (Zinn, p. 37) and that he was there to help them prevent the Natives from taking more of their land but really he was just "interested in destroying the Indians so he could claim their land [for himself]" (Washburn's book, p. 105). The colonists could not see through Bacon’s act of lies because he seemed sincere and willing to help them with their problems like getting their land back. They just thought he was a man who was willing to help others live their lives the way they wanted to, but they were incredibly wrong. Bacon was selfish and immature. Helping the colonists get their land back and then taking it from them for himself would be like ‘stabbing them in the back’ just to get what he wanted. He never truly cared about helping the poor colonists get their land back and improve the way they lived their lives. With this, it is clear that Bacon was not who he displayed himself to be, therefore making him a villain to the colonists.
Nathanial Bacon’s decision to use violent methods to solve his problems in a way connects to the Arts of Democracy class that is taught to students at PSEC. Basically, violence is not always the answer. Bacon did not have to resort to starting a rebellion right after the government would not grant him the commission he asked for. There were many other ways Bacon could have gone about getting what he wanted accomplished without having to create unnecessary violence. One way would have been to go to the government and propose an amendment to the laws. This would not guarantee the results Bacon was hoping for, but it would have saved numerous amounts of innocent bloodshed. This choice may have also elongated the amount of time Bacon would have to wait to get results but still a long period of time is better than a large amount of innocent colonists and Natives being killed. Another way Bacon could have gone about this issue would have been to try to create a negotiation with the Natives. They could have come to some sort of agreement so that the Natives would not kill innocent colonists and the colonists would not lose any of their land that they had worked so hard to receive in the first place. It may have been a struggle because they did not speak the same languages but it would have been worth it in the end if Bacon could have figured out some way to communicate his ideas across to the Natives without having to use violence. But of course Bacon went with the violent method and sent “his men [to] surround the statehouse, and threaten to shoot several on looking Burgesses if Bacon was not given his commission [and soon after the violent raid] Berkeley gave in to Bacon's demands for campaigns against the Indians without government interference” (Bacon’s Rebellion, globalsecurity.org).
Bacon was without a doubt the villain in this historical happening. He was a traitor to his own followers and he went against everything the government had put into action. He did everything he was told not to do and just did not listen to anyone but his own conscience. Just because he was upset with the government decisions that were made, does not mean he had to start a violent rebellion that caused multiple deaths among the colonists and Natives. There were many other ways he could have gotten his opinions out in the open. He could have gone directly to the governor or someone close to him and asked to make some revisions to the laws and they may have taken them into consideration. But, starting a rebellion without trying another method of changing things was just plain stupid. Nathanial Bacon was a failure and deserved to “[fall] sick and [die] at the age of twenty-nine” (Zinn, p.38). Berkeley was the clear and obvious hero of this event. He helped the Indians keep their land, he got rid of the violent Nathanial Bacon, and he kept the colony under control. He was a skilled man and knew what he was doing. He was willing to admit he needed help and called in back-up soldiers himself. Honestly, Berkeley seemed like a very genuine man who only had the peoples' best interest in mind. Even though the poorer people may have suffered more because of his decisions as governor, the colony overall resulted in a better community.
Bacon’s Rebellion was a completely unnecessary event that only happened because one selfish colonist had to have what he wanted. This colonist was Nathanial Bacon. He was one of the first colonists to go against the Virginian government. He caused a monumental amount of trouble for Virginians and did not really care who he hurt as long as the result benefited him. Bacon only did the things he did to help himself become more successful and happy in life. He thought he was better and smarter than all others but really “[was] a person of little experience and but of two years [residence] in the country, thinking himself wiser than the law” (document #15). Governor Berkeley was the hero that stepped up and saved the colony of Virginia. Berkeley was “a good and just man” (Sir William Berkeley and the forging of colonial Virginia, Warren M. Billings) and the right man for the job of Governor of Virginia. “Bacon’s Rebellion was the most troublesome incident Berkeley ever faced” (Sir William Berkeley and the forging of colonial Virginia, Warren M. Billings) and he handled it with his knowledge and dignity. He did what he had to and kept his people safe through a dark time and brought them back into the light as a prosperous colony.
Works Cited:
-"A Young People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn
-44 documents provided in class
-"A Note on Historical Interpretation" (Washburn's book) by Leon J. Goldstein
-"Bacon's Rebellion" http://www.globalsecurity.org/
-"Sir William Berkeley and the Forging of colonial Virginia" by Warren M. Billings
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