1. Bacon’s Rebellion

2. Indentured Servants Headright system encouraged and facilitated large landholding class – Early settlers took up most of the good land Servants were not paid, but were required to purchase land after their indenture – Little good land remained, had no money to buy it Devastating price drop…

3. Tobacco Prices

4. Us v Them Falling prices and scarcity of land created sharp class divisions in VA – Large landholders were able to weather falling prices and taxes due to diversified planting and renting land Poor farmers and former servants pushed west to find land

5. Bacon v Berkeley Frontier farmers were in close proximity to Native Americans – They wanted their land, NA didn’t want to give it up – NA and VAs clashed Bacon asked Berkeley to let him wipe out the NA Berkeley relied on NA for lucrative fur trade, so he said no – Offered to build forts, but Bacon believed that would just cost a bunch of money and not help

6. Sizzling Bacon Bacon disregards Berkeley and leads planters on extermination raids Berkeley demands an end to raids Bacon leads planters to Jamestown, chases Berkeley across Chesapeake, torches town Rebellion effectively ends when Bacon dies of disease Berkeley hangs dozens of rebels to crush opposition

7. Smoldering undercurrent “I have lived for thirty-four years amongst you, as uncorrupt and diligent as ever [a] Governor was, [while] Bacon is a man of two years amongst you, his person and qualities unknown to most of you, and to all men else, by any virtuous act that ever I heard of…. I will take counsel of wiser men than myself, but Mr. Bacon has none about him but the lowest of the people.” – William Berkeley

8. Historical Significi What is the historical significance of Bacon’s Rebellion? Why is this a topic that is important to our understanding of the evolution of American society? What are the possible implications of the role of former indentured servants creating a new class of citizens who oppose the aristocratic elements of the established colonial order?