US History

U.S. History Study Guide

4.5 Bacon's Rebellion Bacon’s Rebellion was a revolt that occurred in Virginia in 1676 and was led by colonist Nathaniel Bacon. This particular revolt had many things that influenced it; high taxes, low prices for crops, a large class of unhappy indentured servants and anger for special privileges given those close to the governor, Sir William Berkeley. In short, class warfare was about to break out. The catalyst for the whole revolt was Berkeley's failure to defend the poorer colonists against attacks by Native Americans on their farms. Bacon led a group of about 300 farmers and indiscriminately attacked the Native Americans. The royal governor branded him a rebel, and Bacon led his men to Jamestown, where he occupied, looted, and burned the city while demanding political reforms. A lot of his men were of the indentured servant class, including free blacks. This created a huge threat to the aristocracy or ruling class in the colony because if they unified, they could overthrow the whole colony. Fortunately for the aristocracy, Bacon died suddenly that same year quickly ending the rebellion, but tensions between rich and poor remained. As tobacco plantations grew in size, demand for workers increased and slavery became the favored source of labor because it was economically profitable and soothed the class struggles. Slavery was officially sanctioned by law in 1660. Slavery later spread throughout the southern colonies. Significance • The aristocracy (ruling class) viewed the indentured servants as a group that could unify and rally against them and threaten the balance of power in the colony. Indentured servitude was established in the early years of American colonies, but fell out of favor after the rebellion and was replaced by slavery. This event would create the demand for slaves and the beginnings of a slave driven economy in the colonies, particularly the south, that would continue up till the end of the Civil War. 4.6 King Phillip's War (King Mediacom’s War) and the New England Confederation King Philip's War or Mediacom’s War was the most destructive war with the Native Americans in New England's history. It was named for Philip (Mediacom) of the Wampanoag tribe of Plymouth Colony and lasted from 1675 to1678. Philip (Mediacom) resented the colonial incursion into the Native American land, the forcing of European culture and practices on to his people and tension grew as Phillip (Mediacom) took power. Fighting broke out in 1675 and the conflict between the Wampanoag and the colonists spread across New England. The New England Confederation, consisting of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and other surrounding settlements, created a united front against these attacks. The New England Confederation was created prior to King Phillip's War and played a crucial role in defeating the Wampanoag. The New England Confederation united together in a loose government structure. The government of the New England Confederation consisted of two representatives from each colony

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