| Resistance to Colonial Authority (1676-1691) |
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Sections:- Bacon's Rebellion
- Inciting a Rebellion
- The Rebellion
- The Aftermath
- The Pueblo Revolt
- The Glorious Revolution in America
- The Dominion of New England
- The Leisler Rebellion
- The Boston Uprising
- An End to Hostilities
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| Historical Context
The Bacon's Rebellion, while consisting of many, was ultimately a duel between two men, Sir William Berkeley, Colonial Governor of Virginia who served for some thirty years, and Nathanial Bacon, a planter who had moved from England to Virginia in 1674. Pictures of both are provided below. The conflict should be viewed against the backdrop of a generally disgruntled Virginian population, angered especially by high taxes.
Attached Documents
The image below is an artist's rendering of Bacon's Rebellion.
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| Historical Context
In 1676, in response to an Indian raid on a plantation that left at least one man dead, Bacon began protesting the colonial response to Indian attacks. Angered by the raid, Bacon insisted on the creation of a militia to rid the area of the perceived Indian threat. Instead, Berkeley opted to refortify the Virginia borders, a move Bacon found dissatisfying. As a result, Bacon formed his own army and began accosting Indians in the area.
Attached Documents
The letter below by Berkeley, dated May 19, 1676 displays Berkeley's distaste with Bacon's decision to take matters into his own hands. Quick to point out that he "has lived 34 years amongst you", while Bacon had only been in Virginia for two, the letter also admonishes Bacon for disobeying the colonial order to cease his organizing of a militia.
The first image is a portrait of Bacon.
The second image is a portrait of Berkeley.
Questions to Consider
1) How does Berkeley justify himself?
2) How does he discredit Bacon?
3) What crime does he accuse Bacon of committing?
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| Historical Context
Bacon was originally arrested for his refusal to lay down arms against the various Indian tribes, yet was subsequently pardoned by Berkeley. It was upon this pardon that the famed Bacon's Rebellion actually began. Able to incite large groups of farmers and planters to his cause, Bacon was able to organize an informal army of his own, attacking settlements throughout Virginia.
Attached Documents
Provided below is Bacon's famous July 30, 1676 Declaration of the People of Virginia, in which he lays out his reasons for dissent in eight points. Of special note are points four through six which specifically refer to Berkeley's treatment of the Indian situation in Virginia. Below too is a map of the rebellion area.
Questions to Consider
1) What types of grievances does Bacon have?
2) Is this declaration anti-royalist?
3) What crime does Bacon accuse Berkeley of committing?
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| Historical Context
Bacon's Rebellion, consisting largely of disgruntled planters, farmers, and slaves, continued to pillage the area, ultimately burning Jamestown to the ground on September 19, 1676. Just over a month later, on October 26, Bacon died of natural causes. The rebellion floundered without him, and order was restored to Virginia. Despite the overall failure of the Rebellion, it did act as a unifying force among laborers across racial boundaries; about 1/4th of the rebels were of African or mixed ethnicity. The actions of Bacon and his troops, as well as the aftermath of the rebellion are outlined in the following historical account by Robert Beverley, written in 1704. Beverley, a colonial official in Virginia and contemporary historian, finds much fault with Bacon's actions.
Attached Documents
The account that follows Beverley's was written by an unknown witness to the rebellion, a planter who, unlike Beverely was rather sympathetic of Bacon's cause and felt he was being misrepresented by history.
Questions to Consider
1)In what ways did Bacon's Rebellion display the growing dissatisfaction with colonial authority?
2)What are the implications of a labor-based and largely agrarian revolt to colonial rule?
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| Historical Context
The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 can be considered the result of nearly one hundred years of forced servitude by the Pueblo Indians of the New Mexico region to their Spanish colonizers. A true example of the colonial resistance of the time, the Pueblo Revolt must be analyzed in the context of a dissent and unrest that slowly reached its peak in early the August of 1680, with religious persecution serving as the catalyst. The forced conversion of the Pueblo people by the Spaniards to Catholicism was accepted with relative peace until the decade of the 1670's when drought and disease began to consume the region. As a result, the people began turning to their native gods for the protection they felt the Spaniards were not providing. The jailed medicine men were eventually released as per the orders of the governor, Juan Francisco Trevino, yet the discontent felt from the arrests planted the seeds of rebellion. Pope began to organize the Pueblo people for the upcoming revolt against the Spaniards.
Attached Documents
The first document is by historian Pedro Ponce entitled "Trouble for the Spanish: The Pueblo Revolt of 1680," and outlines the history of this religious persecution experienced by the Pueblo people. Special consideration should be given to the incident in 1675 in which forty-seven medicine men were arrested for practicing their native rites, among which was the famed Pope (pronounced Po'Pay), leader of the revolt.
The second document is the eyewitness account of Pedro Naranjo, a participant in the Pueblo revolt. Documented after the revolt by the Spanish in 1680, the account reveals the potency of the discontent, as well as displaying the continued fear of Naranjo for the Spanish colonizers. Particularly interesting within Naranjo's account is the realization that the date of the attack was actually moved up due to a fear that the Spanish authorities were aware an attack was imminent. Following this realization is a description by Naranjo of the practices dictated by Pope throughout the revolt, particularly the killing of religious Spaniards, be they man, woman, or child.
Included also is a picture of a statue bearing the likeness of Pope.
The revolt itself was well-coordinated and effective in that the Spanish were largely driven out of New Mexico, placing control of the region into Pueblo hands. Details of the intricate logistics of the revolt from the Pueblo perspective, compiled by Charles Wilson Hackett, is provided below. Of special interest is the magnitude of the attacks, as well as the organizational skills of the instigators.
Included is a map depicting the locations of the various Pueblo tribes.
To counter these accounts is the letter of Don Antonio de Otermin, a Spanish official who also participated in the revolt and provides the Spanish perspective on the attacks.
Questions to Consider
1)How did the Pueblo Revolt both strengthen and weaken the Pueblo people and their role in North America?
2)Compare the Spanish colonial reaction to the Pueblo Revolt to the English colonial reaction to Bacon's Rebellion. |
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| Historical Context
The Glorious, or Bloodless Revolution which took place in England in 1688 had a profound impact on American revolutionary thought. Perhaps more than any other event, the Glorious Revolution helped shaped the growing discontent with the colonial power of England, ushering in an age of resistance which would eventually culminate into the American Revolution. The Glorious Revolution can be viewed within the context of both the English and American colonists' suspicion of Catholicism. When James II, an open Catholic, took the throne in England in 1685, certain conjectures were already being made concerning James' desire to replace existing Protestant institutions with Catholic ones. Fears reached fruition in 1687 with James' issuing of a Declaration of Indulgence. This declaration provided a broad freedom of religion, particularly noticeable among Catholics. Such a move was deemed dangerous, particularly in the colonies where Protestants enjoyed a large majority.
In just a year, a bloodless revolution was to occur in England, with William of Orange taking the throne and reasserting Protestant control of the country and the colonies. The reign of James II, while certainly important within England, also held profound significance within the American colonies. Harsh laws were handed down to the colonists by previous monarchs, tightening the crown's control of the colonies, while impeding on the colonists ability to make money.
Attached Documents
Provided below is James II's Declaration of Indulgence, along with a picture bearing the likeness of James.
The last document is a chart depicting the laws imposed on the colonists. All laws made prior to James' reign (1685-1689) were honored in kind by the monarch during his control. |
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| Historical Context
In April of 1688, Sir Edmund Andros was given charge of the newly organized Dominion of New England, a union created in order to easily control the New England colonies. Andros, highly unpopular among the colonists, ruled with an iron fist.
Attached Documents
The commissioning provided below details Andros' power, including his responsibility in maintaining and respecting the decrees passed on by James II, no matter how detrimental they may seem to the colonists.
The first image is a portrait of Sir Edmund Andros.
The second image is a map of the New England colonies from 1607-1760.
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| Historical Context
Dissatisfied with the harsh laws handed down from James II and Edmund Andros and suspicious of a perceived Catholic favoritism, the colonists began to revolt. Of note was Leisler's Rebellion in New York. Led by Jacob Leisler, the rebellion saw the overthrow of the governor of New York and the enactment of a representative government for the people of New York.
Attached Documents
Below is an eyewitness account of the revolt. While Leisler's representative government was to last until only 1691, the seeds of change were planted in New York.
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| Historical Context
Andros' notoriety was growing among the colonists. In late April of 1689, the city of Boston exploded into violence as armed men stormed the city. Andros was subsequently imprisoned by the mob.
Attached Documents
The following letter by Samuel Prince is an eyewitness account of the Boston Uprising of 1689.
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| Historical Context
The Glorious Revolution was a success in England, as William of Orange and Mary took the throne. The pair implemented many changes made by their predecessor, including the 1689 Bill of Rights, which gave all authority to Parliament.
Attached Documents
This bill was a grand departure from the policies enacted by James II which ultimately led to the discontent which escalated into revolt.
The rebellion that broke out among the colonies as a result of the Glorious Revolution in England may have been short-lived, yet the revolutionary sentiment certainly lingered in the American colonies.
Questions to Consider
1)How did the Glorious Revolution in America influence revolutionary thought in the colonies leading to the American Revolution?
2)Were the revolts that occurred in the colonies as a result of the Glorious Revolution in England inevitable? |
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