essay rough draft

The events of Bacon’s Rebellion have led many people to have different views and opinions on what really happened. Some may think one thing while others think the complete opposite. One issue that many people are biased about is the decisions to name Bacon the hero or if Berkeley should be called the hero. More people lean towards Bacon as the hero but, Berkeley was the hero throughout Bacon's Rebellion while Bacon was the rebel villain of Virginia.

William Berkeley was the governor of the colony of Virginia. 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 didn't really have a problem with his new laws but the lower class and poor farmers were seriously disturbed by these 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 didn’t decide to do anything about it. This may have been because he figured that the Natives were here first so they deserved the land over the colonists or he just didn’t think anything could be done about it because the Natives were savage beings that could probably overtake their entire town in a small amount 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 did something to try and help the poorer colonists that wouldn't be able to survive the Native invasions and the new laws that Berkeley had put into action that stated that they couldn’t 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 recruited all of those poor colonists who disagreed with Berkeley and started an army of colonists. 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 Natives, 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 have to obey them. Bacon was arrested for his foul behavior and failure to abide by the laws. Bacon was a proud rebel and didn’t care what others thought of him.

This in a way connects to the Arts of Democracy class that is taught to students. Basically, violence is not always the answer. Bacon didn’t have to resort to starting a rebellion right after the government wouldn’t grant him the commission he asked for one time. There are many other ways Bacon could have gone about getting what he wanted accomplished. One way would be to go to the government and propose an amendment to the law. This wouldn’t guarantee the result 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 people being killed. Another way Bacon could have gone about this issue would be to try to create a negotiation with the Natives. They could have come to some agreement so that the Natives wouldn’t kill innocent colonists and the colonists wouldn’t lose any of their land. It may have been a struggle because they didn’t speak the same language but it would have been worth it in the end if Bacon could have figured out some way to get his ideas across to the Natives without violence.

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 help him and his people through the rebellion, but it was in his best interest to save the colony and defeat Bacon. Bacon on the other hand couldn't handle being unsuccessful. 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 couldn't succeed with his 'brilliant' plans to get rid of the Native Americans. 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 get their land back. They just thought he was a man who was willing to help others live their lives the way they wanted to. Bacon was selfish and immature. Helping the colonists get their land back and then taking it from them for him would be like ‘stabbing them in the back’ just to get what he wanted. With this, it is clear that Bacon was not who he displayed himself to be and therefore making him a villain to the colonists.

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 didn’t listen to anyone but his own conscience. Just because he was upset with the governmental decisions that were made, doesn't mean he had to start a rebellion. 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 deserves what he got.

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 was a better community.

Bacon’s Rebellion was an event caused by the people being upset by the government. Nathanial Bacon was one of the first to go against the Virginian government. He caused a monumental amount of trouble for Virginians and didn’t really care who he hurt. Bacon only did the things he did to help himself become more successful. Governor Berkeley was the hero that stepped up and saved the colony of Virginia. He did what he had to and kept his people safe through a dark time and came out to become once again a prospering colony.