Final Essay #1

Bacon’s Rellbellion - System of Society Class Have anyone think about how society classes and slavery were like in the past and how does it look like in the modern society? Well, I did think about it when I was studying about slavery during Bacon’s Rebellion which happened in 1676. In the past, how people turned into slaves were by losing in the war, born in a poor or slave family or people who were brought from Africa. And the violence between Virginia colonists and Native Americans was one of the reason that made up Bacon‘s Rebellion so strongly. At sixteenth century in America, the population was made up by White Europeans , Native Americans and Africans, and religion was most powerful thing that gave people knowledge instead of getting professional educations in technology. Because of the religion, most of people in the past thought black represented evil, and became the reason why Africans were brought to America and treated as slaves. In the modern society, slavery is not that popular as it was in the past. Most of examples still happening in this world are children that were sold as laborers in Africa, and women that were kidnapped from China, Thailand or Vietnam sold as sexual slaves and sent to Taiwan secretly. As more and more Europeans moved into America in sixteenth century, they wanted more lands from Native Americans and more people to work for them to make profits. At this time, the government in Virginia had already signed a treaty with Native Americans that Europeans will not cross or take over more lands from them. Plant tobacco fields was the main economy to those high class rich people, which made a big difference between classes and slavery became prevailed, and caused a lot arguments and rebellions in the past. There were many unfair things like, people who had more money meant more power, which meant less money less power and rights but more work to do. Also with many other reasons that made Bacon’s Rebellion as a very strong rebellion that impacted and changed the life of society classes and relationship with Native Americans in America.

In 1676, Bacon’s Rebellion stared as a dispute over Virginia’s Indian Policy. Right after Columbus explored America for Spain, more and more Europeans started to came to America, and for those poor Europeans they had to sign a contract with some wealthy people to brought them to America. The contract was they have to work for the owner who brought them to America for seven years, and they will be free after seven years. Some of them were able to be free after seven years, but some of them had children or tried to ran away during their service year, the owner would add more years on the contract as a punishment. But it was the only way that poor Europeans can move to America without money. A letter that was posted on Rocky Mountain News on Saturday, October 8. 2004 from the AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT of Colorado and Our Allies, the letter was about we should not have a holiday which is a celebration for Columbus explored America after what he done with those Native Americans. As we study in the history, Columbus and his men tortured Native Americans and took over their lands. So there were many fights between Europeans and Native American for many years. Since the Virginia government signed a treaty with Native Americans about the lands, many Virginia colonists were unhappy about it, especially the poor servants and freemen. They did not have that much money to buy lands and also there were not enough lands for them to have when there is a treaty between Native Americans and Europeans. These were the two main reasons that Bacon led his men to against Virginia government and Native Americans.

During this time, more Africans were kidnapped and sent to America and sold as slaves. In the text book, “THE AMERICAN PROMISE” written by historians Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage, Lawson and Hartmann, Africans were brought to America by ships. Europeans sent and sold around 1,341,000 Africans in sixteenth century. And it was only because Africans has black skin which meant evil to the European‘s religion, but it was also an excuse to have cheap slaves to work for them. They placed Africans under the deck side by side , even laid on top of others with a long foot chain. Africans did not have fresh air, light or bathrooms. Almost half of them died on the way to America. There was a research about pH of the Atlantic Ocean went high which was because European threw the died Africans into the ocean. It caused illness and changes of sea creatures.

An article posted in the website of National Center for History in the Schools of University of California, that Nathaniel Bacon was the son of a wealthy English gentleman. Bacon was sent to America to plant a large tobacco field. At first he was welcomed by the Governor of Virginia, but not till Bacon started a rebellion against government and Native Americans. Bacon was really a good leader that stood up for those poor freemen. He knew that it was wrong that government and rich people charged a heavy taxes on lower classes. No wonder those people in lower classes could not get rich and for those poor freemen was almost barely to making a living. A travel report written by Sara McClure, a student of the College of William and Mary, when servants and lower class people came to visit a higher class they would have to stay in the main hall. This did create a feeling of intimidation and separated the upper class from the lower classes. And the fact that wealthy people were able to put so much money and effort into their house brings to light an important difference in priorities between the classes. Most of small or poor planters would put all their money back into their tobacco crop while people who were wealthier could afford to use money for their homes.

While rich people were getting richer, those slaves had to work from day to night. Because of the price of an African slave was very cheap, so the did not care about their health or anything, the owner would just buy a new slaves if one of his slave got sick or died. Also rich people was like have more people plant tobacco meant more profit for him to make. It was like living in the hell for the slaves. When Bacon started the rebellion, more and more people became his supporters. Nathaniel Bacon became a hero to many of the poor freeman. The Governor at this time was a man named William Berkeley. Bacon had declared war against Berkeley and other on his side. Berkeley called Bacon as a traitor. There was a castle called Bacon’s Castle. It was built in 1655 by Major Arthur Allen and it actually named as Bacon’s Castle in the nineteenth century, because Bacon was going to use this castle as a stronghold during rebellion, but he may not been in this castle before if he did not get a chance to us it. After Bacon declared a war with Berkeley, Bacon and his crew fought the Indians, sacked the grandees’ plantations, and attacked Jamestown. But Berkeley and his men took revenge by plundering homes and destroying the farms of Bacon’s supporters. Bacon and his supporters continued to fight until one day in October that Bacon was unexpectedly died from a disease in 1676. In “ The American Promise”, it wrote after Bacon’s Rebellion, a governor of Virginia said that it was necessary “ to steer between… either an Indian or a civil war.” It was a hard decision for them to make. But they could have make it easier if they could have give better supports or gain more rights for the lower classes.

The king realized the mess that were made in Jamestown during Bacon’s Rebellion effected the tobacco exports and customs duties, he had some of his royal officials to replace Berkeley. They decided to sell tobacco to more other countries and cut down the taxes by 75 percent between 1660 and 1700. And it was welcomed by all freemen. The number of servants and slaves were reduced. In 1700, only around one-third of free colonists still worked on the lands that were owned by others.

To relate this to my personal experience, it looks more similar to the situation I have in my country Taiwan right now. Taiwan is a small country, we are trying to be an independent country and join the United Nation. Most of Taiwaneses’ ancestors were from China, but it had been 96 years, we had developed new cultures, foods, and style of living. We use a different type of Chinese Writing from China, even they way we speak Chinese is different too. Now we are trying to be independent, and prove we are not part of Chinese’s colony. But China seems to be so negative about it, just like it was hard for rich people to be equal with lower classes. And also because China is not happy about it, it causes many country disagree us to join the United Nation. For the qualifications, we do have enough technologies, especially the medical science. We are working hard to get approve from other countries And I hope it will become succeed as Bacon’s Rebellion that changed and impact the whole society class system. Bacon really did a good job by having a rebellion to help the poor freeman get their rights and making a better living. His rebellion impacted the whole society and changed the slavery system which by reducing a big number of it. And Bacon made king realized that he must make a decision to solve the problem between colonists and Native Americans. It was a important moment in the history in sixteenth century.