American slavery and freedom

¶ … social, political and economic tensions that led to Bacon's Rebellion. Morgan begins to give the reader an idea of where all the tension begins, as well as a viewpoint to see that here lays a beginning to a possibly very nasty ending.

Bacon continued to conduct the crusade against Indians -- all Indians. He began by marching his men southward to a fort held by the Occaneechees on the Roanoke River near the present Carolina border. The friendly Occaneechees captured a number of Susquehannahs for him. After the prisoners had been killed, Bacon's men turned their guns on the Occaneechees and dispatched most of them too, thus demonstrating their evenhanded determination to exterminate Indians without regard to tribe or tribute. Upon returning, Bacon reiterated his loyalty to the governor. All he wanted, he said, was to make war "against all Indians in general," neglecting to add that friendly Indians were somewhat easier to catch than hostile ones, and made a satisfactory substitute as far as he and his men were concerned. (Morgan 259)

This is an example of one of the ways that Bacon perpetuated tension in the whole situation. He proved through his actions that there was no true purpose, that in fact it all seemed to happen because of a pure lack of respect for "all" Indians not just particular ones. As if just trying to give him and others a reason to seek the Indians out and destroy them at will.

With Berkeley's Declaration, not only Bacon but also all his followers and supporters became, by definition, rebels. They undoubtedly retained their zeal for killing Indians, but they were now invited to save a share of their hostility for the governor and council, the biggest men in Virginia. In a colony where the level of discontent was already so high and the means of suppressing a rebellion were so scant, it required a degree of foolhardiness in the governing circles to adopt such a position. With the local Indians fleeing out of range, and the Susquehannahs too elusive to lay hands on, the dangerous young men of New Kent and the Southside might well consider attacking their rulers, especially if led by men who could themselves lay claim to high position (Morgan 261)

Here shows an example of how a hatred for one cause can affect a whole other area of well being. Here is where one can locate the point where things become unsettled. Bacon and his followers looking for a reason to rebel, not only against the Indians for whom they continue to show disdain for, but also for their own fellow citizen.

However, Berkeley was willing to take the risk, or so at least the word went. As he prepared to return to Jamestown, he not only promised the people of the Eastern Shore the plunder of the estates of those who had signed Bacon's oath, but it was said, he offered freedom to the servants of the signers in return for support. 73 The two proposals were not wholly consistent, since servants were the principal form of wealth worth plundering, but Berkeley was desperate. Too desperate, evidently even servants felt that he was unlikely to win. He did reach Jamestown by ship on September 7, but neither freemen nor servants rallied to his cause. And he now emulated Berkeley by offering freedom to the servants and slaves of loyalists. His forces quickly outnumbered Berkeley's; and after a brief siege, Berkeley and his remaining friends left on the ships that had brought them. (Morgan 268)

This is an example partially of the economic tensions that were set by this flux of turmoil. This is a clear indication for why some of the members of Virginia Society viewed the revolt with so much fear and apprehension. The people were not sure of whether or not Bacon would truly "call on" the slaves to support him in his cause. Even though the people believed, it would be worth less than it was worth considering the uprising it would create with the masters. Nevertheless, the fear and question of what affect it could have still loomed. In the times of this writing Bacon could have been depicted as a "current day" robin hood. Since it is portrayed in essence that he was stealing from the rich and giving to himself and others that may not have been as fortunate as the previous owners of the stolen goods may have been.

Such was the sordid culmination of Bacon's Rebellion. During September and October, the scene at Colonel Warner's was repeated at the houses of other loyalists. However, when Bacon died of the "bloody flux" (probably a form of dysentery) on October 26, the rebellious mood of the Virginians ran out. Shortly thereafter armed vessels from England arrived. One of them, operating in James River, produced conversions to loyalty in the Southside counties as she moved up and down the riverbank there. Another in York River obtained the surrender of the New Kent men who had marched with Bacon. Most of them switched their allegiance back to Berkeley and were allowed to go home. By January, Berkeley was back at his Green Spring plantation, ready to hang the unrepentant and to recoup his and his friends' property losses by more legal methods of plunder. (Morgan 269)

The rebellion could have been compared to a passing storm. Blowing in and leaving out just as easily. Here we see that when Bacon died it was almost as if it all had never occurred. For in actuality at this point Bacon had made some very distinctive impacts on society as a whole. There was a noticeable line drawn between social classes, even those in politics were not above reproach in this rebellion, economic tensions were high, because slave owners feared loosing their working to a cause they could not understand why they would want to follow, as well as the potential to lose substantial amounts of money on their tobacco crops.