After reading the passage I feel that Bacon's complaints were more political in nature and just happened to be applicable to economics and politics. There are moments in his complaints that are more economic than political. But in the end it seemed that politics were more important and the economic parts of it were there for support. And I also think that if the complaints were more economic then more people would simply think that Nathaniel Bacon was an angry farmer who just wanted to “get back” at society. But if others saw the politics of Bacon’s complaints then they would follow his idea of what’s right and try to do what will make the country better. And to make the country better they had to come together and take down the political leaders that are in place.
Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature because most of his complaints dealt with unjustly favoring certain people and not doing anything about the problems in their society. By committing the crimes in his list, Bacon thought that some people were betraying his Majesty which angered him even more. He also argued that the people in charge did nothing as the enemy, the Indians, did whatever they wanted to the colony. Economics was more or less on the back burner of his complaints and seemed to be more of a result of political scandals rather than being the problem itself. I don’t think that the nature of his complaints had a major impact on the rebellion’s success because either way people were going to support it if the accusations were severe enough. Bacon’s main complaints were against politics and based on the accusations put against the government people supported it because they want a fair government that could help and protect them. Even if Bacon had chosen economics as the focus for his complaints people still would have supported him because humans by nature love money. If someone were to interfere with how much money they had people would support a rebellion because they need that money to provide for their families. In short, no matter what the focus of Bacon’s complaints, people would have supported a rebellion simply because what the government was doing was wrong no matter how you look at it.
I think that Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more economic in nature because he, being a poor planter who rallied others of the same socioeconomic status as himself, had little political power. He probably wouldn’t have started a political rebellion with political motives because his primary concerns would have been economically based. No person in poverty is going to start a purely political battle when he doesn’t even have his most basic needs met. His motives can be seen through his language and his accusations. He makes a clear separation between the elites in charge and the poor, makes accusations against unfair taxes and projects being used for personal gain, and challenges the decisions of the elites. All in all, he was protesting for fair treatment of the poor and a narrowing of the gap between the rich and poor. Though the wars against the Native Americans may seem political, the fact that he thought they were “holding back settlement” makes it economic, because an expansion in settlement would have meant more work opportunities and potential profits for the Bacon and others in similar situations. I think the economic nature led to the success of the rebellion because the potential of economic reward was very appealing and such a large portion of the population was poor. The people in this rebellion were probably frustrated, not highly educated, and surrounded by others whose condition was similar or worse than their own. To them, banding together to fight for their rights and challenge attempts to restrict these rights was not just a message to the elite population, but one of the few things they could do to have their voices heard.
I think that Bacon’s complaints were more economic in nature because Bacon was a poor planter. I agree with Mira that no person in poverty is going to start a purely political battle when he is barely making ends meet. Though it may seem that his dislike of the Native Americans is purely political, he claims that they are holding the settlement back. By saying that they are holding them back shows that it is an economic battle not a political one. The nature of Bacon’s complaints didn’t have a major impact on the success of the rebellion. Even if his complaints were purely political, there are probably people that agree with him and feel they need to do something about it.
I think Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more economic in nature, because he was an impoverished planter, which gave him little political power. Nathaniel Bacon was not getting enough money to support him and his family, so he decided to fight not only for himself, but for other planters that were in the same position. One of the things he discussed was that they are taxed unjustly and since he does not have the money to pay for such heavy taxes he feels that William Berkeley is betraying the planters and the King for the way he is acting towards the poor. Bacon accuses William Berkeley and his followers of betraying the King by only doing things to for their self gain. A point that made it clear his complaints were economic was when he stated that the Native Americans were preventing them from having more land. If Nathaniel Bacon and his fellow planters had more land then they would live better. I think this did have an impact on the rebellions success because if the complaints came from a political nature then a more wide range of people would have followed him, but since it mostly effected the poor not as many people followed it. I think the reason people joined him in his rebellion was because they wanted a say in the government and this was the only way they knew how to get that. -Vanessa C.
I think Nathaniel Bacon's complaints were more economic in nature because he was starting a rebellion to show that he was not going to take what the government had been giving him anymore. Bacon was tired of being unfairly taxed and having "restricted economic independence" so he gathered supporters to rebel with him. In the end the rebellion turned into more than just an economic battle, it became political as well. I agree with Mira that since the nature of the complaints were economic it was a more successful rebellion because of the high incentives to join the cause. Those in positions similar to Bacon or even worse were ready to join together to fight against oppression and for more economic freedom.
Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature but his motives may have been more economic. Only a few of his complaints appeared to be economic. Most of them were calling William Berkeley out for political reasons such as being unjust and favoring the Native Americans over “his Majesty’s most faithful subjects.” But if Bacon had been comfortable economically he would not have made his complaints and started a rebellion. Using political complaints more than economic ones may have given him more credibility. They may have helped him gain support because people would feel like they were fighting for a more just cause than simply because they don’t have the money they need. It sounds better to say “I’m rebelling because the governor is going against the king and the will of the people” than to say you’re rebelling for your own economic gain. However, I don’t think that the nature of his complaints had much effect on the success of the rebellion. He probably would have gotten just as much support whether his complaints were economic or political in nature. Margaret R.
Bacons complaints were more economic in nature. He was complaining about the strain the high taxes were creating on his family and those families around him. He also complained about the lack of defense that the government was providing against the natives and the economic and human loss that the people were taking because of it. His only political complaints were those of favoritism in appointing judges. I think that this defiantly had an impact on the success. If the rebellion was more political in nature then it would have gotten much less support then it did. It would have failed much sooner and probably have quickly been forgotten.
I believe that Bacon's complaints were more economical than political. Bacon was not looking to take over Governor Berkeley's position, though he later did for a period of time. He was more angered by the poverty spreading through out the colony, and even more, angered by the lack of action done by Governor William Berkeley and the House of Burgesses. The governor was more interested in keeping his wealth and the wealth of the elite, than the colonists' wealth and safety. When Indian attacks came into play, and the governor would not act due to trade agreements with the Indians giving him a healthy profit, Bacon and the colonists essentially "lost it". Due to the fact that the rebellion was because of poor economic conditions, I believe it was a success. It united many poor farmers together to create a mob that was much more powerful than the Virginia government. This was enough to overthrow the government and created a concept among the colonists of "consent of the governed". The fact that the colonists were united due to the economy impacted the rebellion a great deal. Emily B.
I agree with Margaret. I think that his complaints dealt with politics and the way Governor Berkeley and the House of Burgesses was treating the common farmers, but his motives did stem from his economic problems. It was almost a cause-effect sort of thing-the cause was economic and the effect was political. Many of the farmers wanted to go west to get more farm land, get into fur trading and become rich since growing Virginia tobacco was basically worthless. But they thought that the Native Americans were in the way, so when they wanted Governor Berkeley to kick them out, he didn't want to because he was profiting economically from trading with them. Since the governor wasn't helping or listening to the common farmers, Nathaniel Bacon decided that he shouldn't be a governor. And since the problems came from economic issues, the economically-struggling common people would be more willing to support it. So I think that since the problems were economical, Bacon's Rebellion was a success, even though the Rebellion diminished after Bacon died. -Elise K.
Bacon's complaints were more economical but both politics and economics were implied. It doesn’t seem like it’s all about economics, but it was a very evident cause of the rebellion. A big point he made revolved around the idea on unfair taxes and the bad effects it had on people of the lower class. The people who joined him in the rebellion were also in the lower/working class, most likely farmers, like Bacon himself. Together, they helped ward off Native Americans Berkley failed to tie ends with. Were his motives to lead the rebellion more political in nature, I don’t think he would have been successful in leading a crowd who had the same drive as him. However, if they had been more political, Bacon might have been more successful in keeping Berkley out of power.
It seems like Bacon's declaration was due to political problems but as some of my counterparts have said, were driven by economic problems. Due to the political holes in the government that the British placed there for there own personal gain, the framing class was suffering, and at this time most of the people were but simple farmers. Since the problems were political in nature, the rebellion was successful in rallying people against the oppressive government and instilling the importance of 'consent of the governed' which is still an important thing to people today. The people during this time period wanted some large power which they could blame their numerous problems on. Since the rebellion did have a large political side, the colonists could rally behind the tyranny of the people in power. Christian P.
I believe Bacon's complaints themselves were more political in nature, but the reasoning behind them was more economic. While Bacon says that the Governor has raised "unjust taxes," his complaint is not that the taxes were raised. He complains that despite the increase, the Governor has not improved the colony, which is political. Bacon says that the Governor has "wronged his majesty's prerogative," given power to unworthy favorites, and not protected his subjects from the Natives, all of which are political complaints. Bacon's poverty may have been the reason and motive for his movement, but the complaints he lists in his declaration are political, which would have likely given him a leg up over any other person complaining about the situation, because he would have been dismissed as simply another whining planter had he simply written "Taxes are too high! You're taking money away from us!"
While some of Bacon’s complaints (unjust taxes and a monopoly on beaver trade) were economic in nature, the majority of them were political. Bacon’s complaints mostly point out the governor’s political favoritism. As has been said, Bacon’s economic position may have driven him to make the complaints, but the complaints themselves are purely political. The main point he makes to the governor is that leaders of large groups of people depend on the consent of the governed in order to wield their political power. By playing favorites and leaving commoners out of the loop and without a say in any political decisions, he loses the peoples’ trust as a leader. The way Bacon masked economic motives with a political spin ensured that people took action, and is also a tactic used present day. Would America have supported the original invasion into Iraq if for only economic reasons – to secure oil? We generally need the justification that it is a political battle about safety, freedom, and patriotism in order to convince ourselves we are not greedily taking someone’s resources. Bacon uses the same tactic. Letting his followers say they were fighting a political battle led to the success of his rebellion. -Phoebe W.
I believe that Bacon's complaints were more political in nature. I agree with Christian P and Phoebe W, though, when they said that economic issues led to Bacon's complaints. The leadership in the colony made decisions that would benefit him economically, but those decisions caused political complaints to rise in among the people. The trade relationship with the Native Americans eventually became an issue for the people, because the people didn't have the necessary protection they needed. That is an example of an economic motive for the governor making the people angry at the political side of the issue. The people felt cheated and forgotten because of the Native's treatment by the governor. Bacon's declaration probably did have an impact on the success of the rebellion. I think that if Bacon complained about economics, there wouldn't be as big of an effect. The people would have been able to understand the economic problems with the colony and could have made a decision about whether to join the rebellion by themselves. Bacon's decision to write about the political issues rallied the people more, because the declaration explained the political failures by the governor's decisions, that brought money into the colony. The declaration also targeted the colonies leadership and the Indians, who were both a source of the problem. The people probably responded to Bacon very well, and that's why the rebellion had success. Ellis M.
Bacon's criticisms are more political. Bacon focuses less on informing the economic condition and more on the corruption of certain officials and the action that should be taken to remove them from government positions. "For having abused and rendered contemptible the magistrates of justice by advancing to places of judicature scandalous and ignorant favorites." This conception asserts the officials' actions are not associated with the Majesty's loyalists' actions and should be dismissed at once. The opinion of Bacon centers on the speculation of governmental exploitation towards the colonist's protection, which achieves the by-product of an economic concept. This altercation stimulates more outrage with the colonists because of the iniquitous sovereignty impacting directly on the local, general public level. Maggie H
Bacon's criticisms are mainly political in nature. He is complaining that the powers-that-be are unjustly and unfairly treating some groups of people much better than others. I do agree with Phoebe W and Christian P, about how economic issues let to this list of grievances. This did affect the success of the rebellion, Bacon's supporters had something to back up their accusations and a strong reason to rebel. America used the Declaration of Independence to the same effect during the War of Independence. Ben S.
I think it is fair to say that Bacon's declaration had a mixture of both economic and political opinions, but tended to lean more to the political side. Almost all of Bacon's complaints were of the monetary nature (when I say this, I mean that they had to do with money), but were serving a political purpose. In my opinion most of his complaints served the purpose of simply showing how much of a scum-bag the Governor was. For example, Bacon says that there is inadequate defense from the "barbarous acts," but I think this only serves the purpose of worsening the image of the Governor, because instead of spending tax money on defends, he spends it on himself. I do not think that this aided in the success of the rebellion much. It seems that even if Bacon said "hey guys, our Governor is a punk, and we are paying taxes so that he can give himself a bigger paycheck," many people would still agree with him, and probably revolt as well.
I think that Bacons complaints were more of the economic nature. It would seem that tax evasion and forgery are worse offenses then political injustice, at least for the colonists who wanted economic freedom. Looking back on the revolution as a whole, it was mostly economically driven “no taxation without representation,” the stamp act and the tea act were both driven by economics. The reason why the colonists initially wanted to be free of England rule was because they did not like the way England was monopolizing their economy. These complaints would have been helpful instigators in the revolution because they dealt with economic injustices that the colonist found worthy of revolution. This list of complaints most likely helped further the rebellions success because it got people upset and passionate about the cause they were fighting for.
I believe that Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature, but he used the fact that there were Economic issues as well to help rally a rebellion. The Economic issues expressed were something that most of the commoners would have understood, and they would have supported change in this area. Bacon saw this as a common understanding that he could use as a tool for his own Political gain. He wanted to be able to shape the Political system so something he envisioned more fitting and fair. This being said, the Political and Economic issues presented are so closely related that it is difficult to separate which is really more present. Most importantly they share the common basis that the commoners were treated unfairly and they wanted a change. Bacon was trying to change the Political aspect of the issue, thereby helping to eliminate some of the Economic ones as a result. Nile R
Bacons rebellion was a political rebellion in response to the landowners abuse of power. Yet the core of the complaints were economic, as Bacon complained that the landowners were monopolizing the money from the resources. Overall this rebellion was not merely a complaint for more share of the wealth, but became a political issue on the fairness of the landowners actions. Instead of giving the colonists protection from the Indians, the colony's government was creating their own army out of colonists to protect themselves from the rebelling farmers and slaves. When these complaints went from economic hardship to issues on principles the rebellion became less likely to succeed because it became more threatening. A rebellion concerning equal power among the colonists instead of one about sharing wealth more equally has a bigger impact on the governments stability. From this the landowners and government had to end it completely and quickly before it could get out of hand. Margaret B (Meg)
I think they were more political than economical because throughout the entire article he was mainly complaining about favoritism between different groups of people. It however does make sense if people said economical because of his socioeconomic class and how they are treated the worst compared to the others. Personally though,i do think its political because in the article he repeatedly talked about how those specific people were going against/betraying 'his majesty' which clearly means he was arguing from more of a political stand point than economical one. I don't think it really had an impact on the rebellions success but it could have been one of the lesser reasons for it. The rebellions success and cause were from a variety of many different things, I doubt this would have been the main issue,the people were tired of the government and thought what they were doing was unfair to the people, having a list of people who are thought to be traitors to 'His Majesty' wouldn't really have a big impact If any at all.
I think that Nathaniel Bacon's complaints were more political. Although the economic issues were used as a greater advantage in the rebellion's success because most of them related to jobs, favoritism, taxes, and that his economic class was not getting the respect that they deserved. Through his declaration he shows the unjust and unfair of the ordinance. I do think his rebellion had an effect, if Bacon had simply gone after the economic issues at hand, rather than attack Berkeley politically, Berkley may have not listened. Instead of having a calm disagreement about the economic policy, Bacon decided to revolt violently to get his point across to show that he meant business.
By far these complaints were more political than economic. Yes, he was worried about the economic status of everything, but bacon was more worried that the political powers were not doing much of anything to try and fix the problem. Of course his first priority would have been to take a political stand. I also believe that by him deciding to complain and make a statement from a political standpoint he fueled a great rebellion. If he went in a more economical approach no one would have paid too much attention to him. I mean everyone talked about how bad the economic status was, there was nothing new there, but for someone to come and blame it on someone that's what people want to be a part of. He was just the only one who had the nerve to speak out about it.
Bacon’s declaration contained many grievances against the Virginian Governor. Although the objections to his leadership included crises instigated by economic unrest, the majority of his protest dealt with political injustice. Monopoly over trade, increase in taxes, and other complaints reflected a poor view of the economic policy enacted by the Virginian government, but the underlying scrutiny was based in political inequality. Bacon expressed his disappointment in Governor Berkeley’s decision to pursue civil crime reform while the Native Americans were committing offences such as robbery and murder without being held accountable. This point was repeatedly addressed, suggesting that the political prejudice was a more major factor than economic concerns in Bacon’s rebellion. His political accusations against the Governor in not acting in accordance with the King’s will helped Bacon gain support from fellow colonist. Although the citizens of Virginia were upset with the economic decisions of the government, the deeper resentment was set in political injustice which created a stronger determination to defy the Governor. Hannah R
Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints are difficult to divide into political and economic categories because the two are closely connected, but he tends to emphasize the political wrongdoings of Sir William Berkeley more than the economic consequences of those actions. While Bacon would probably have mustered more support had he given additional attention to the harsh economic times so many of the colonists were dealing with, I doubt that such a change would have empowered the uprising enough for it to succeed. Furthermore, the first of the listed complaints already addresses the harsh taxes on the impecunious colonists – a mention that rallied support from the laborers on its own. Even if Bacon had decided to underscore the economic hardships of the time instead of writing this document, he would have had to neglect mentioning the atrocities committed by Native Americans, which doubtlessly helped provoke the rebellion. In summary, the economic condition of the colony led Bacon to question the political practices of Berkeley, and, since the rebellion’s participants were already enraged, Bacon’s specific criticisms made little impact on the size or success of the revolt.
I feel that there is a close tie between Nathaniel Bacons complaints being both political and economic in origin. However, that being said, i feel that the main reason for the complaints are due to economic reasons. The factors contributing to the turmoil that cause the complaints are political but they were affecting the people in economic ways. The complaints seem to have risen from a mixture of oppression by the political elites back across the pond that had no knowledge, or possibly no care that their decisions were affecting people in very economic ways. I do believe that the complaints that were made had a very large impact on the success of the rebellion. The people were angry but did not quite know what cause to unite behind. The complaints of Bacon were just the fuel that the people needed to unite and fight the oppression in the best way that they felt they could.
Nathaniel Bacon’s declaration addressed both political and economic concerns; however, I believe the article targets political wrongdoing. Bacon understood the relationship between political malpractice and economic hardship. By addressing William Berkeley’s oppressive governmental body he sought to eliminate its byproduct of financial woe. As Kevin emphasized, formally describing the poverty that Virginians endured would hardly motivate the citizenry – they would be more motivated by an individual who questioned the governor’s actions. I suspect Bacon anticipated this and therefore crafted his complaint primarily to reiterate the citizenry’s discontent with political practices rather than economic conditions. This political focus, I believe, was what conjured such support from Virginians and redirected such widespread contempt into a universal attempt at reform.
Bacon's complaints entailed in his declaration were more of an economic than a political nature. He was infuriated by the government's mistreatment of himself and his fellow farmers, but the English government was really a focal point for their frustrations. He was poor and angry and everyone around him was poor and angry, so they decided to blame their impoverished state on those who weren't so poor, and since they were angry, they decided to revolt. I think that since his complaints were economical, he had a smaller chance of being successful in his rebellion than the American Revolution, which was based on political complaints. Because his rebellion was based on the economy, it was focused on short-term goals. Also, he did not have a certain goal that was so strong that his followers would easily die for, and so when they held the advantage, his followers would gladly help revolt, but when the going got rough, his followers would not continue, so he lost. -Kevin C.
I believe that Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more economic in nature. What did Bacon and the other men who wrote the complaint have to gain? They were all poor farmers who were struggling to pay the heavy taxes and thought their leaders were wronging their people. I agree with Mira that Bacon and those men would probably not start a “ a fight they couldn’t follow through”. And writing the complaint is his basic human right as an American who truly believes that the leaders of his state were not helping its people. And those leaders were benefiting from the heavy taxes the poor were struggling to pay. He raised valid points in his declaration and they were very thorough. Although, I do not believe that the declaration had that great of an impact on the rebellion. People were angry and frustrated at the government and eventually someone would have started a fight somehow. The declaration just gives the rebels reasons why they want to overthrow the current government.
Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints about William Berkeley leadership in the Virginia Colony are based on politics rather than economics. However, it is sort of a cause and effect situation. Like Elise stated, the cause was economics and the effect is political. Because William Berkeley unfairly raised taxes among the common people, catered to the Indians and performed scandalous favors for the elite class, Bacon had to get rid of him, which made his complaints more about politics than economics. Almost in every complaint, Bacon singles out Berkeley. The declaration turned into a political battle because of the economic situation. By complaining about the economic situation, he was able to connect on the same level as the people. Bacon was successful because he showed he was willing to change the economic situation instead of becoming politically involved. Bacon's ability to act rather than just complain about the situation helped him in this battle. Kelly. C
I think it is hard to separate the economics from the politics in American society, even American colonial society. The members of Bacon’s rebellion were mad for several reasons. They were angry because they were poor. They were angry because they were surrounded by land they could not use. They were angry at class divisions. They were mad at policy decisions by the government that reaffirmed their low economic status. Their economic conditions were the result of political conditions. They lived in a society where wealth, education, power and land were concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy elite. While Bacon has obvious economic goals, he is challenging the very political system which resulted in the economic inequality. In the end, I think the inequality of resources and organization probably had a larger impact on the outcome of the rebellion than any political or economic goal.
Bacon’s complaints, as a whole, are political in nature, although a couple do serve an economic purpose. Unjust taxes certainly do create economic disparities, but Bacon mainly focused on how the taxes were enacted without the peoples’ consent and how they were used for corrupt purposes, which are both political injustices. Appointing “scandalous and ignorant favorites” to the judiciary is simply a corrupt political act. Monopolizing the beaver trade is an economic act, but instead of concentrating on how this diminishes the economic stability of the people and state of Virginia, he emphasized the wronging of his Majesty (presumably the King of England). The rest of Bacon’s complaints dealt with the government’s scrutiny of petty civil crimes within the colonies while they did nothing about the greatly unlawful acts of the Native Americans. Bacon was undoubtedly poor at the time of his rebellion, but because he masked his economic desperation with political complaints, the rebellion was much more successful than it would have been. Bacon also used peoples’ fear of Native Americans to spur action. As in America today, the colonists were more likely to rise up and take action against the violation of human and civil rights and the unlawful acts of government than react to unfair economic circumstances. -Ben C.
I believe that Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature because he was angered by both Governor Berkeley’s economic policies towards farmers, and social policies towards Native Americans. Bacon felt that polices such as a high tax rate were not helping the common people in any way and the monopoly on the beaver trade was only defrauding Great Britain for the governor’s own personal gain. He also said that the colony was more dangerous since Berkeley did not go after Native Americans when the army had the chance, thus letting them steal their property and kill colonist. I believe that since the rebellion was based on rising up against a bad government it was a success. People such as small farmers who had experienced the hardships of living on a low income caused by the government could relate to those whose property had been destroyed by a force that could have been eliminated by the government years ago.
Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more political than economic because his complaints talk about the actions of the people in power and then talks about the affects it has on the people’s economic welfare. Bacon relates his economic problems to the close relationship between the Native Americans and the political leaders. He complains that Governor William Berkeley is bias towards his elite group of friends and the natives because there are personal gains. Bacon seems to be more concerned about how the political leaders are acting because they go against what “his Majesty” wants. Bacon seems to talk about the economic problems as a side affect of the deeds Berkeley has done. A poor planter trying to convince people that high-ranking leaders are corrupt was not successful because it’s hard to prove. Bacon not being able to give sufficient evidence led to his rebellion being unsuccessful because not a lot of people supported him. – Brenda Herrera
Bacon's complaints definitely seemed more political than economic in nature. One of his top complaints was about the unfairness of how certain people were treated, because Sir Berkeley had favorites. He pointed out that these favorites held public or political positions, and were much better off than the rest of the population. Bacon seemed to single out these political problems as the cause of the economic stress on the colony. I feel if most of the complaints were economic, the rebellion would have had greater success. Sir Berkeley and the government may have taken the declaration as a list of economic challenges they should address, instead of a political attack they should tear down.
I believe that in the begginig, Bacon started this rebellion just as an economic complaint. He was poor and tired of bein taked unfairly by the government and wantd to do something about it. However as the ideas and people involed kept growing, it became more political. The people were angry with Berkley because he would not retaliate against the natives. He made his want to keep peace with the natives more important than his need to protect his citizens. I think this rebellion could have been more successful if Bacon stuck to the economic compaints. If too many complaints if different things come to the government, they wont know which to take proirity. Also, not everyone agreed with the political aspect of it, so if Bacon stuck with the economic aspect, he would hae appealed to more people and more people would have joined the rebellion.
I believe that in this declaration, Nathaniel Bacon focused on informing the people of all of the political wrong doings of Governor Berkeley and the other political leaders as opposed to the economic problems that the Virginian settlers were having. Although Bacon does focus more on the political problems, I believe he uses the economic problems to help his arguments appear to be more legitimate. I think that this fact greatly affected the success of the rebellion in a negative way. If Nathaniel Bacon had not focused so much on how the political leaders favored the Native Americans and more on all of the economic hardships that they were going through, he might have had more followers to assist him in the rebellion.
Politics and economics go hand in hand and although economic problems were the at the root of Bacon's discontent, his arguments/complains were a majority of the time political. He claimed that the political actions of the Governor, or lack there of were against the King and causing problems for the Kings pupils. Although the planters were angry about the Governor and his elite monopolizing the land and wealth, they were not fighting for their land back. Their underlying concern was being treated justly. They were fighting for the concept of "governing by the people, for the people." This is the clear message Bacon was attempting to portray in his declaration and this is the reason it go so many people riled up and lead to it's success.
I believe that Bacon's complaints were mostly political. He showed that all these traitors were not doing much to help their colonies; therefore they were putting these colonies in danger of being attacked. Although the arguments were mostly political, there were pieces of economical problems in the arguments. They "raised great unjust taxes upon the commonalty for the advancement of private favorites and other sinister ends." This was a huge burden on all the colonists, and this extra money they had to pay did not directly help them. This all helped the success of the rebellion. By showing everyone the problems, and bringing them forward publicly, Bacon was able to get a big following. Also by telling people that they were losing money that didn't help them, I think Bacon aroused more anger. Most people are very protective over their money and hate to lose it. I think this all helped to make Bacon's rebellion successful.
Bacon's complaints were more political than economic because he was angered at Governor Berkeley's tactics and abuse of his power as the Governor. Although Bacon did mention economic situations, such as the monopoly on the beaver industry or the unjust taxes, he was not angered by the economic situation as much as by the politics and lack of action by the Governor. He brought up how certain people were favored and how Native Americans were not punished for their crimes, a form of favoritism that he felt was unfair to the people that the Governor was supposed to be serving. I do think that this had an impact on the rebellion's success because it was able to spark an interest and bring attention to issues that the Governor had gotten away with. The source also was able to unite the people that had been cheated, such as small, poor farmers that wanted to take a stand. Ultimately, it would lead to success of the people and the rebellion.
I believe Nathaniel Bacon's complaints were primarily political because the only economic things he complained about were the beaver trade and ridiculous taxes with no results. Everything else he said was political. Nathaniel Bacon wrote this declaration to Virginia's government in 1676. He wrote this in Virginia to explain to the government why he was leading this rebellion and why the people were unhappy with what the government was doing. His main points were about how Virginia’s government always took the Native American's side on issues when they should be protecting the Virginian settlers. I didn’t know much about Bacon’s rebellion before reading this, but this declaration made clear what was happening enough for me to understand. I believe it was a reliable source since he was trying to make an argument against a superior about what he was doing wrong. When Bacon is trying to make a point about how Governor Berkeley is unfair, it’s best to tell the truth because Berkely was most likely to debate the truth, so telling a lie would just give him a stronger argument against Bacon. Bacon’s main point was that the lower class people didn’t have the same rights as the upper class and this wasn’t fair. A person’s rights shouldn’t be determined by their social or economic class. This document was unsuccessful in that Bacon’s rebellion was stopped and he didn’t get what he asked for, but it did make lower class people aware that they could have rights also, and these thoughts would eventually lead to justice in the future.
Bacon's complaints were more political in nature than economic. He first states that the taxes are way to high and that the money that is being taxed is clearly not going to public works or services of any kind. He then says that the judges that are in power in the Virginian courts are bias towards the rich and powerful and do not serve their purpose as the great equalizers they should be. To defend his position, Bacon says that Governor Berkeley has monopolized the beaver trade and is taking money away from the King. He views this as an act of treason punishable by death. In 1676 Bacon and his rebel forces lashed out, raiding several noble's estates and killing many of the local Native Americans who were viewed at the time as a force that was limiting European expansion westward.
Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature. He was angered by the economic effects, but the problem itself was political. He complained how Berkeley abused his position in power and how he ignored the needs of the citizens—and although some of the problems that came out of this were economic, that main issue was that the person ruling them was unfit to rule, making it a political issue. I do think this had an impact on the rebellion’s success because for there to be a rebellion it would always come back to being a political issue, and what I mean by that is they wouldn’t rebel unless they thought those in power weren’t fit to rule—so even if they were angered entirely for economic reasons it would always come down to the fact that those in power didn’t listen when they complained. I believe that in order for there to be any sort of rebellion, it will always have to at some point relate to politics, even if the issue they’re fighting about isn’t political when they actually begin to fight the government about it, it becomes political. Erin H.
I believe Bacon's complaints were that of a political nature, rather than economic. However, there were still many economical aspects within these complaints. He was speaking mostly of how the governor and other people in power were affecting the economy of the colony, and not the other way around. Bacon was more concerned with trying to out the political figures who he believed were corrupted. It seems that because he was trying to call out all these political figures, it caused the rebellion to suffer a loss of support. If he had evidence or something to convince his followers, I believe he would have made a much larger impact. Also, if he had focused more on the economic struggle the colony faced rather than the political cause behind it, the rebellion would have been much more successful. --Maliyah T.
I think that Bacon’s complaints in “The Declaration” were mostly political in nature. He has a couple main points that are economic—the unjust taxes and the beaver trade, but everything else was political. I think this probably didn’t help his case because people tend to have a much stronger reaction to hard facts. Numbers, statistics and money are much easier to understand. Governor Berkeley probably cared more about his money than how people were treated. This isn’t necessarily true, but just an assumption based on the facts given and what I know about personalities of politicians. The rebellion was a success in the end, so they must have done something right.
I believe that the issues Bacon addressed were both political and economical, but more political because he put a lot of emphasis on the fact that Berkeley was going against the will of the king. He betrayed his people by allowing violent attack by the Indians to continue without punishment. I'm sure that this declaration did open the doors for the rebellion, it was strong worded and strong willed which I'm sure caught the eye of political leaders.
(I'm not sure how to take a comment off so I will just continue) Along with stirring things up among the political leaders, it probably encouraged other colonists to join the rebellion. I believe that this would create a chain reaction within the colony, and maybe even other colonies. It only takes one person to start something like Bacon did, and the way he did was incredibly brave, and courageous.
After reading the selection I felt that Bacon’s grievances were more political in nature then they were economic. Not to say that there wasn’t any economic reasoning within the selection. I feel that he wanted to be in control more than he wanted people to get what he was asking for. This had a negative effect on the rebellion because not everyone in the rebellion could hold office at once or even wanted to hold office. Also, if you are trying to get people to rebel, like Bacon was then it is good to have actual incentives to fight. He started the rebellion to gain power and succeeded until the old governor came back. After he was out of power he gave up on the rebellion which shows he was just trying to get control of the government.
I believe that Bacon's complaints were mostly political, but some were economical. He mostly had problems with Governor Berkeley, who he accused of not doing what he was put into power to do. Instead, Berkeley was said to had monopolized trade and protected the natives instead of helping the colonists. He also had problems with being overly taxed. I think Bacon might just have been trying to gain control for himself, as he gave up with his own rebellion after he lost control when Berkeley returned. He may have wanted control because he saw himself as the only one fit to handle the problems, but it still means he had at least partially selfish intentions.
From what I understood, these complaints seem more political than economical. The first complaint seems more economically concerned because it charges the ruling party increasing the taxes too much. Some complaints are about supporting the Natives Americans even though, Bacon claim’s, they murder the civilians. Bacon even compiles a list of people who he labels as “traitors to the King” and declares that they are outlaws. By doing this, he makes it look as if he has more power than the Governor. This declaration probably brought the rebellion together because it stated the complaints of the public. By making the public seem stronger than the Governor, Bacon was probably also able scare the ruling party a little. This could have eased the process of overthrowing the ruling party.
I agree with many before me who have said that Bacon's complaints were mainly political. Though the actions of those he was going against caused economic problems for him, some of which he pointed out, he was rebelling against political actions that were unfair to the people. When a leader misuses their power and does not serve the people, it can have economic effects but the source is political. I think the fact that Bacon pointed out real, immediate political flaws in the government, combined with an economic incentive for others, was what ultimately made his rebellion a success. The reason he was able to achieve his goals was not wholly political or economic, but rather a combination of the two that made people want to stand behind him because they could identify with his situation and complaints.
In my opinion, the complaints that Bacon pointed out in this source were mainly political rather than economical. I agree with HarAmrit that the first complaint by Bacon is economical because Bacon brings up the issue of taxes. The rest of the complaints are political, Bacon talks about how the people are being treated poorly by "Majesty". I think that this did have an impact on the rebellion's success because the only reason for there to be a rebellion is due to a political action. People can't rebel against the economy, however they can rebel against political leaders and they way that the rulers have treated the people. Hannah M.
Nathaniel Bacon's complaints were based more economic in nature because he was more upset over the spreading poverty and lack of action on the part of the governor. I think that althought it may not have been his first intentions the complaints grew political and aimed at governor Berkely whome Bacon thought was being unfair and putting his wealth ahead of the people. I think the rebellion needed the men of the same economy status as Bacon it aquired through the complaints of economic nature and so that definatley helped its success. I also think the political complaints helped the success because it would be very easy to create a rebellion if the people were convinced of a corrupt government and they were alreaedy weary of this being controlled by England.
Upon having read the passage in question, I believe that Bacon's complaints were mostly political in nature. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I believe that Bacon's only had a problem with the political aspects of the predicament he saw the Virginians as being in and merely worded his complaints in the manner that he did so as to rally those in discontent with economic aspects of the situation and gain their support. I feel that this definitely had an impact in the rebellion’s success, because while it did not reshape Virginia quite like he had hoped it would, Bacon's rebellion was a success in many ways and much of its success was due to its numbers, which were strengthened by Bacon's ability to rally people of different discontents for the same wrong to come together and fight for what they believed in, or rather believed against. -David S
Bacon's complaints were more political in nature, though he did use economic issues as major complaints. I think Bacon was mainly after more respect and power in society for the lower class people like him, citing that he thought Sir William Berkely did not treat all groups equally in the colony. If the complaints were only economic in nature, then why would such extreme actions have to take place to fix the problem, such as slaughtering Native Americans? Bacon was able to use his platform to get other lower class members on his side because he was fighting for more than money. If other colonists had thought that Bacon just wanted to be wealthier, than they would not have joined him in the rebellion.
Bacon's arguments are more political than economic. He complains of people doing things that colonists and, more importantly, the King do not like. He thinks the government is wasting resources like the army on useless tasks. It seems like Bacon is just complaining about things he does not like about politics. If bacon had used more arguments geared towards economics instead of politics I think people would have paid more attention to him and not think he was just an angry, stubborn man unhappy with his government. People are more worried about their own money than who rules them and how so the rebellion would have had more support.
Bacon's declaration is tended more to economical problems then political.As he speaks for the people of Virgina who were poor and people who were heavily taxed and also for those who were killed by the Indians, while the government did nothing to solve these issues and constantly protected the Indians ather then their own peolple. Bacon's Declaration did make it in history but did not help the rebellion as much it was expected. The Declaration seemed it was more of an insult for Berkely and the higher authorities
Bacon's complaints were both economic and political, but they leaned more to the political side. He complained about how planters like him were not represented in the government and basically says that he hates the Native Americans and that they should have killed them when they had the chance. He claims that "his Majesty" played favorites to the Native Americans and people who had money and accuses people of being traitors and says that they should be locked up. Bacon claims to be the oppressed and then he goes out and murders a bunch of Native Americans. I think that if Bacon had instead denounced his Majesty, whom he claimed to be loyal too, yet apparently his majesty did not agree so much with Bacon's ideals seeing as he sent a fleet of British ships to stop the rebellion, and perhaps stayed more on the economic course, and then tied it in with the political- that the lower class was carrying the burden while they were not fairly represented in the government- his rebellion may have been a bit stronger than it was. Also, his writing is kind of contradictory and hypocritical.
Bacon’s complaints were more focused on the politics of the colony. I think Bacon was just really mad about how the government was treating the lower class (which was everyone besides the governor and the elites) colonists. He talked a lot about Berkeley not “in any measure advance[ing] this hopeful colony either by fortifications, towns, or trade.” Bacon seemed really mad about the government not protecting them from the Indians “who now in all places burn, spoil, [and] murder”. I think the rebellion still would have had the same result in the end because, in my opinion, the colonists really just wanted a reason to start a rebellion. Plus, it wasn’t like the colonists were not being treated fairly economically either, Bacon just didn’t say it.
After reading the source I feel that Bacon's complaints were more economic in nature and passage just happened to moments in his complaints that are more economic than political. But in the end it seemed that politics were more important and the economic parts of it were there for support. More or less it helped him with the rebellion because if he didn't act on what he wanted then I think it would have made less of an impact. As soon as he died it ended the rebellion but it left an impact on Virginia planters who remembered the good of black and white working together.
After reading the passage I feel that Bacon's complaints were more political in nature and just happened to be applicable to economics and politics. There are moments in his complaints that are more economic than political. But in the end it seemed that politics were more important and the economic parts of it were there for support.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also think that if the complaints were more economic then more people would simply think that Nathaniel Bacon was an angry farmer who just wanted to “get back” at society. But if others saw the politics of Bacon’s complaints then they would follow his idea of what’s right and try to do what will make the country better. And to make the country better they had to come together and take down the political leaders that are in place.
Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature because most of his complaints dealt with unjustly favoring certain people and not doing anything about the problems in their society. By committing the crimes in his list, Bacon thought that some people were betraying his Majesty which angered him even more. He also argued that the people in charge did nothing as the enemy, the Indians, did whatever they wanted to the colony. Economics was more or less on the back burner of his complaints and seemed to be more of a result of political scandals rather than being the problem itself.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that the nature of his complaints had a major impact on the rebellion’s success because either way people were going to support it if the accusations were severe enough. Bacon’s main complaints were against politics and based on the accusations put against the government people supported it because they want a fair government that could help and protect them. Even if Bacon had chosen economics as the focus for his complaints people still would have supported him because humans by nature love money. If someone were to interfere with how much money they had people would support a rebellion because they need that money to provide for their families. In short, no matter what the focus of Bacon’s complaints, people would have supported a rebellion simply because what the government was doing was wrong no matter how you look at it.
I think that Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more economic in nature because he, being a poor planter who rallied others of the same socioeconomic status as himself, had little political power. He probably wouldn’t have started a political rebellion with political motives because his primary concerns would have been economically based. No person in poverty is going to start a purely political battle when he doesn’t even have his most basic needs met. His motives can be seen through his language and his accusations. He makes a clear separation between the elites in charge and the poor, makes accusations against unfair taxes and projects being used for personal gain, and challenges the decisions of the elites. All in all, he was protesting for fair treatment of the poor and a narrowing of the gap between the rich and poor. Though the wars against the Native Americans may seem political, the fact that he thought they were “holding back settlement” makes it economic, because an expansion in settlement would have meant more work opportunities and potential profits for the Bacon and others in similar situations. I think the economic nature led to the success of the rebellion because the potential of economic reward was very appealing and such a large portion of the population was poor. The people in this rebellion were probably frustrated, not highly educated, and surrounded by others whose condition was similar or worse than their own. To them, banding together to fight for their rights and challenge attempts to restrict these rights was not just a message to the elite population, but one of the few things they could do to have their voices heard.
ReplyDeleteMira N.
I think that Bacon’s complaints were more economic in nature because Bacon was a poor planter. I agree with Mira that no person in poverty is going to start a purely political battle when he is barely making ends meet. Though it may seem that his dislike of the Native Americans is purely political, he claims that they are holding the settlement back. By saying that they are holding them back shows that it is an economic battle not a political one. The nature of Bacon’s complaints didn’t have a major impact on the success of the rebellion. Even if his complaints were purely political, there are probably people that agree with him and feel they need to do something about it.
ReplyDeleteI think Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more economic in nature, because he was an impoverished planter, which gave him little political power. Nathaniel Bacon was not getting enough money to support him and his family, so he decided to fight not only for himself, but for other planters that were in the same position. One of the things he discussed was that they are taxed unjustly and since he does not have the money to pay for such heavy taxes he feels that William Berkeley is betraying the planters and the King for the way he is acting towards the poor. Bacon accuses William Berkeley and his followers of betraying the King by only doing things to for their self gain. A point that made it clear his complaints were economic was when he stated that the Native Americans were preventing them from having more land. If Nathaniel Bacon and his fellow planters had more land then they would live better.
ReplyDeleteI think this did have an impact on the rebellions success because if the complaints came from a political nature then a more wide range of people would have followed him, but since it mostly effected the poor not as many people followed it. I think the reason people joined him in his rebellion was because they wanted a say in the government and this was the only way they knew how to get that.
-Vanessa C.
I think Nathaniel Bacon's complaints were more economic in nature because he was starting a rebellion to show that he was not going to take what the government had been giving him anymore. Bacon was tired of being unfairly taxed and having "restricted economic independence" so he gathered supporters to rebel with him. In the end the rebellion turned into more than just an economic battle, it became political as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mira that since the nature of the complaints were economic it was a more successful rebellion because of the high incentives to join the cause. Those in positions similar to Bacon or even worse were ready to join together to fight against oppression and for more economic freedom.
Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature but his motives may have been more economic. Only a few of his complaints appeared to be economic. Most of them were calling William Berkeley out for political reasons such as being unjust and favoring the Native Americans over “his Majesty’s most faithful subjects.” But if Bacon had been comfortable economically he would not have made his complaints and started a rebellion. Using political complaints more than economic ones may have given him more credibility. They may have helped him gain support because people would feel like they were fighting for a more just cause than simply because they don’t have the money they need. It sounds better to say “I’m rebelling because the governor is going against the king and the will of the people” than to say you’re rebelling for your own economic gain. However, I don’t think that the nature of his complaints had much effect on the success of the rebellion. He probably would have gotten just as much support whether his complaints were economic or political in nature.
ReplyDeleteMargaret R.
Bacons complaints were more economic in nature. He was complaining about the strain the high taxes were creating on his family and those families around him. He also complained about the lack of defense that the government was providing against the natives and the economic and human loss that the people were taking because of it. His only political complaints were those of favoritism in appointing judges. I think that this defiantly had an impact on the success. If the rebellion was more political in nature then it would have gotten much less support then it did. It would have failed much sooner and probably have quickly been forgotten.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Bacon's complaints were more economical than political. Bacon was not looking to take over Governor Berkeley's position, though he later did for a period of time. He was more angered by the poverty spreading through out the colony, and even more, angered by the lack of action done by Governor William Berkeley and the House of Burgesses. The governor was more interested in keeping his wealth and the wealth of the elite, than the colonists' wealth and safety. When Indian attacks came into play, and the governor would not act due to trade agreements with the Indians giving him a healthy profit, Bacon and the colonists essentially "lost it".
ReplyDeleteDue to the fact that the rebellion was because of poor economic conditions, I believe it was a success. It united many poor farmers together to create a mob that was much more powerful than the Virginia government. This was enough to overthrow the government and created a concept among the colonists of "consent of the governed". The fact that the colonists were united due to the economy impacted the rebellion a great deal.
Emily B.
I agree with Margaret. I think that his complaints dealt with politics and the way Governor Berkeley and the House of Burgesses was treating the common farmers, but his motives did stem from his economic problems. It was almost a cause-effect sort of thing-the cause was economic and the effect was political. Many of the farmers wanted to go west to get more farm land, get into fur trading and become rich since growing Virginia tobacco was basically worthless. But they thought that the Native Americans were in the way, so when they wanted Governor Berkeley to kick them out, he didn't want to because he was profiting economically from trading with them. Since the governor wasn't helping or listening to the common farmers, Nathaniel Bacon decided that he shouldn't be a governor. And since the problems came from economic issues, the economically-struggling common people would be more willing to support it. So I think that since the problems were economical, Bacon's Rebellion was a success, even though the Rebellion diminished after Bacon died.
ReplyDelete-Elise K.
Bacon's complaints were more economical but both politics and economics were implied. It doesn’t seem like it’s all about economics, but it was a very evident cause of the rebellion. A big point he made revolved around the idea on unfair taxes and the bad effects it had on people of the lower class. The people who joined him in the rebellion were also in the lower/working class, most likely farmers, like Bacon himself. Together, they helped ward off Native Americans Berkley failed to tie ends with. Were his motives to lead the rebellion more political in nature, I don’t think he would have been successful in leading a crowd who had the same drive as him. However, if they had been more political, Bacon might have been more successful in keeping Berkley out of power.
ReplyDeleteIsabel S.
It seems like Bacon's declaration was due to political problems but as some of my counterparts have said, were driven by economic problems. Due to the political holes in the government that the British placed there for there own personal gain, the framing class was suffering, and at this time most of the people were but simple farmers. Since the problems were political in nature, the rebellion was successful in rallying people against the oppressive government and instilling the importance of 'consent of the governed' which is still an important thing to people today. The people during this time period wanted some large power which they could blame their numerous problems on. Since the rebellion did have a large political side, the colonists could rally behind the tyranny of the people in power.
ReplyDeleteChristian P.
I believe Bacon's complaints themselves were more political in nature, but the reasoning behind them was more economic. While Bacon says that the Governor has raised "unjust taxes," his complaint is not that the taxes were raised. He complains that despite the increase, the Governor has not improved the colony, which is political. Bacon says that the Governor has "wronged his majesty's prerogative," given power to unworthy favorites, and not protected his subjects from the Natives, all of which are political complaints. Bacon's poverty may have been the reason and motive for his movement, but the complaints he lists in his declaration are political, which would have likely given him a leg up over any other person complaining about the situation, because he would have been dismissed as simply another whining planter had he simply written "Taxes are too high! You're taking money away from us!"
ReplyDeleteWhile some of Bacon’s complaints (unjust taxes and a monopoly on beaver trade) were economic in nature, the majority of them were political. Bacon’s complaints mostly point out the governor’s political favoritism. As has been said, Bacon’s economic position may have driven him to make the complaints, but the complaints themselves are purely political. The main point he makes to the governor is that leaders of large groups of people depend on the consent of the governed in order to wield their political power. By playing favorites and leaving commoners out of the loop and without a say in any political decisions, he loses the peoples’ trust as a leader.
ReplyDeleteThe way Bacon masked economic motives with a political spin ensured that people took action, and is also a tactic used present day. Would America have supported the original invasion into Iraq if for only economic reasons – to secure oil? We generally need the justification that it is a political battle about safety, freedom, and patriotism in order to convince ourselves we are not greedily taking someone’s resources. Bacon uses the same tactic. Letting his followers say they were fighting a political battle led to the success of his rebellion.
-Phoebe W.
I believe that Bacon's complaints were more political in nature. I agree with Christian P and Phoebe W, though, when they said that economic issues led to Bacon's complaints. The leadership in the colony made decisions that would benefit him economically, but those decisions caused political complaints to rise in among the people. The trade relationship with the Native Americans eventually became an issue for the people, because the people didn't have the necessary protection they needed. That is an example of an economic motive for the governor making the people angry at the political side of the issue. The people felt cheated and forgotten because of the Native's treatment by the governor.
ReplyDeleteBacon's declaration probably did have an impact on the success of the rebellion. I think that if Bacon complained about economics, there wouldn't be as big of an effect. The people would have been able to understand the economic problems with the colony and could have made a decision about whether to join the rebellion by themselves. Bacon's decision to write about the political issues rallied the people more, because the declaration explained the political failures by the governor's decisions, that brought money into the colony. The declaration also targeted the colonies leadership and the Indians, who were both a source of the problem. The people probably responded to Bacon very well, and that's why the rebellion had success.
Ellis M.
Bacon's criticisms are more political. Bacon focuses less on informing the economic condition and more on the corruption of certain officials and the action that should be taken to remove them from government positions. "For having abused and rendered contemptible the magistrates of justice by advancing to places of judicature scandalous and ignorant favorites." This conception asserts the officials' actions are not associated with the Majesty's loyalists' actions and should be dismissed at once. The opinion of Bacon centers on the speculation of governmental exploitation towards the colonist's protection, which achieves the by-product of an economic concept.
ReplyDeleteThis altercation stimulates more outrage with the colonists because of the iniquitous sovereignty impacting directly on the local, general public level.
Maggie H
Bacon's criticisms are mainly political in nature. He is complaining that the powers-that-be are unjustly and unfairly treating some groups of people much better than others. I do agree with Phoebe W and Christian P, about how economic issues let to this list of grievances. This did affect the success of the rebellion, Bacon's supporters had something to back up their accusations and a strong reason to rebel. America used the Declaration of Independence to the same effect during the War of Independence.
ReplyDeleteBen S.
I think it is fair to say that Bacon's declaration had a mixture of both economic and political opinions, but tended to lean more to the political side. Almost all of Bacon's complaints were of the monetary nature (when I say this, I mean that they had to do with money), but were serving a political purpose. In my opinion most of his complaints served the purpose of simply showing how much of a scum-bag the Governor was. For example, Bacon says that there is inadequate defense from the "barbarous acts," but I think this only serves the purpose of worsening the image of the Governor, because instead of spending tax money on defends, he spends it on himself. I do not think that this aided in the success of the rebellion much. It seems that even if Bacon said "hey guys, our Governor is a punk, and we are paying taxes so that he can give himself a bigger paycheck," many people would still agree with him, and probably revolt as well.
ReplyDeleteAlex "sam" B.
I think that Bacons complaints were more of the economic nature. It would seem that tax evasion and forgery are worse offenses then political injustice, at least for the colonists who wanted economic freedom. Looking back on the revolution as a whole, it was mostly economically driven “no taxation without representation,” the stamp act and the tea act were both driven by economics. The reason why the colonists initially wanted to be free of England rule was because they did not like the way England was monopolizing their economy. These complaints would have been helpful instigators in the revolution because they dealt with economic injustices that the colonist found worthy of revolution. This list of complaints most likely helped further the rebellions success because it got people upset and passionate about the cause they were fighting for.
ReplyDeleteAlaina B.
I believe that Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature, but he used the fact that there were Economic issues as well to help rally a rebellion. The Economic issues expressed were something that most of the commoners would have understood, and they would have supported change in this area. Bacon saw this as a common understanding that he could use as a tool for his own Political gain. He wanted to be able to shape the Political system so something he envisioned more fitting and fair. This being said, the Political and Economic issues presented are so closely related that it is difficult to separate which is really more present. Most importantly they share the common basis that the commoners were treated unfairly and they wanted a change. Bacon was trying to change the Political aspect of the issue, thereby helping to eliminate some of the Economic ones as a result.
ReplyDeleteNile R
Bacons rebellion was a political rebellion in response to the landowners abuse of power. Yet the core of the complaints were economic, as Bacon complained that the landowners were monopolizing the money from the resources. Overall this rebellion was not merely a complaint for more share of the wealth, but became a political issue on the fairness of the landowners actions. Instead of giving the colonists protection from the Indians, the colony's government was creating their own army out of colonists to protect themselves from the rebelling farmers and slaves. When these complaints went from economic hardship to issues on principles the rebellion became less likely to succeed because it became more threatening. A rebellion concerning equal power among the colonists instead of one about sharing wealth more equally has a bigger impact on the governments stability. From this the landowners and government had to end it completely and quickly before it could get out of hand. Margaret B (Meg)
ReplyDeleteI think they were more political than economical because throughout the entire article he was mainly complaining about favoritism between different groups of people. It however does make sense if people said economical because of his socioeconomic class and how they are treated the worst compared to the others. Personally though,i do think its political because in the article he repeatedly talked about how those specific people were going against/betraying 'his majesty' which clearly means he was arguing from more of a political stand point than economical one. I don't think it really had an impact on the rebellions success but it could have been one of the lesser reasons for it. The rebellions success and cause were from a variety of many different things, I doubt this would have been the main issue,the people were tired of the government and thought what they were doing was unfair to the people, having a list of people who are thought to be traitors to 'His Majesty' wouldn't really have a big impact If any at all.
ReplyDeleteI think that Nathaniel Bacon's complaints were more political. Although the economic issues were used as a greater advantage in the rebellion's success because most of them related to jobs, favoritism, taxes, and that his economic class was not getting the respect that they deserved. Through his declaration he shows the unjust and unfair of the ordinance.
ReplyDeleteI do think his rebellion had an effect, if Bacon had simply gone after the economic issues at hand, rather than attack Berkeley politically, Berkley may have not listened. Instead of having a calm disagreement about the economic policy, Bacon decided to revolt violently to get his point across to show that he meant business.
Abbie R.
By far these complaints were more political than economic. Yes, he was worried about the economic status of everything, but bacon was more worried that the political powers were not doing much of anything to try and fix the problem. Of course his first priority would have been to take a political stand.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that by him deciding to complain and make a statement from a political standpoint he fueled a great rebellion. If he went in a more economical approach no one would have paid too much attention to him. I mean everyone talked about how bad the economic status was, there was nothing new there, but for someone to come and blame it on someone that's what people want to be a part of. He was just the only one who had the nerve to speak out about it.
Bacon’s declaration contained many grievances against the Virginian Governor. Although the objections to his leadership included crises instigated by economic unrest, the majority of his protest dealt with political injustice. Monopoly over trade, increase in taxes, and other complaints reflected a poor view of the economic policy enacted by the Virginian government, but the underlying scrutiny was based in political inequality. Bacon expressed his disappointment in Governor Berkeley’s decision to pursue civil crime reform while the Native Americans were committing offences such as robbery and murder without being held accountable. This point was repeatedly addressed, suggesting that the political prejudice was a more major factor than economic concerns in Bacon’s rebellion. His political accusations against the Governor in not acting in accordance with the King’s will helped Bacon gain support from fellow colonist. Although the citizens of Virginia were upset with the economic decisions of the government, the deeper resentment was set in political injustice which created a stronger determination to defy the Governor.
ReplyDeleteHannah R
Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints are difficult to divide into political and economic categories because the two are closely connected, but he tends to emphasize the political wrongdoings of Sir William Berkeley more than the economic consequences of those actions. While Bacon would probably have mustered more support had he given additional attention to the harsh economic times so many of the colonists were dealing with, I doubt that such a change would have empowered the uprising enough for it to succeed. Furthermore, the first of the listed complaints already addresses the harsh taxes on the impecunious colonists – a mention that rallied support from the laborers on its own. Even if Bacon had decided to underscore the economic hardships of the time instead of writing this document, he would have had to neglect mentioning the atrocities committed by Native Americans, which doubtlessly helped provoke the rebellion. In summary, the economic condition of the colony led Bacon to question the political practices of Berkeley, and, since the rebellion’s participants were already enraged, Bacon’s specific criticisms made little impact on the size or success of the revolt.
ReplyDeleteI feel that there is a close tie between Nathaniel Bacons complaints being both political and economic in origin. However, that being said, i feel that the main reason for the complaints are due to economic reasons. The factors contributing to the turmoil that cause the complaints are political but they were affecting the people in economic ways. The complaints seem to have risen from a mixture of oppression by the political elites back across the pond that had no knowledge, or possibly no care that their decisions were affecting people in very economic ways.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the complaints that were made had a very large impact on the success of the rebellion. The people were angry but did not quite know what cause to unite behind. The complaints of Bacon were just the fuel that the people needed to unite and fight the oppression in the best way that they felt they could.
Nathaniel Bacon’s declaration addressed both political and economic concerns; however, I believe the article targets political wrongdoing. Bacon understood the relationship between political malpractice and economic hardship. By addressing William Berkeley’s oppressive governmental body he sought to eliminate its byproduct of financial woe. As Kevin emphasized, formally describing the poverty that Virginians endured would hardly motivate the citizenry – they would be more motivated by an individual who questioned the governor’s actions. I suspect Bacon anticipated this and therefore crafted his complaint primarily to reiterate the citizenry’s discontent with political practices rather than economic conditions. This political focus, I believe, was what conjured such support from Virginians and redirected such widespread contempt into a universal attempt at reform.
ReplyDeleteBacon's complaints entailed in his declaration were more of an economic than a political nature. He was infuriated by the government's mistreatment of himself and his fellow farmers, but the English government was really a focal point for their frustrations. He was poor and angry and everyone around him was poor and angry, so they decided to blame their impoverished state on those who weren't so poor, and since they were angry, they decided to revolt.
ReplyDeleteI think that since his complaints were economical, he had a smaller chance of being successful in his rebellion than the American Revolution, which was based on political complaints. Because his rebellion was based on the economy, it was focused on short-term goals. Also, he did not have a certain goal that was so strong that his followers would easily die for, and so when they held the advantage, his followers would gladly help revolt, but when the going got rough, his followers would not continue, so he lost.
-Kevin C.
I believe that Nathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more economic in nature. What did Bacon and the other men who wrote the complaint have to gain? They were all poor farmers who were struggling to pay the heavy taxes and thought their leaders were wronging their people. I agree with Mira that Bacon and those men would probably not start a “ a fight they couldn’t follow through”. And writing the complaint is his basic human right as an American who truly believes that the leaders of his state were not helping its people. And those leaders were benefiting from the heavy taxes the poor were struggling to pay. He raised valid points in his declaration and they were very thorough. Although, I do not believe that the declaration had that great of an impact on the rebellion. People were angry and frustrated at the government and eventually someone would have started a fight somehow. The declaration just gives the rebels reasons why they want to overthrow the current government.
ReplyDeleteNathaniel Bacon’s complaints about William Berkeley leadership in the Virginia Colony are based on politics rather than economics.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it is sort of a cause and effect situation.
Like Elise stated, the cause was economics and the effect is political.
Because William Berkeley unfairly raised taxes among the common people, catered to the Indians and performed scandalous favors for the elite class, Bacon had to get rid of him, which made his complaints more about politics than economics.
Almost in every complaint, Bacon singles out Berkeley. The declaration turned into a political battle because of the economic situation. By complaining about the economic situation, he was able to connect on the same level as the people.
Bacon was successful because he showed he was willing to change the economic situation instead of becoming politically involved.
Bacon's ability to act rather than just complain about the situation helped him in this battle.
Kelly. C
I think it is hard to separate the economics from the politics in American society, even American colonial society. The members of Bacon’s rebellion were mad for several reasons. They were angry because they were poor. They were angry because they were surrounded by land they could not use. They were angry at class divisions. They were mad at policy decisions by the government that reaffirmed their low economic status. Their economic conditions were the result of political conditions. They lived in a society where wealth, education, power and land were concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy elite. While Bacon has obvious economic goals, he is challenging the very political system which resulted in the economic inequality. In the end, I think the inequality of resources and organization probably had a larger impact on the outcome of the rebellion than any political or economic goal.
ReplyDeleteBacon’s complaints, as a whole, are political in nature, although a couple do serve an economic purpose. Unjust taxes certainly do create economic disparities, but Bacon mainly focused on how the taxes were enacted without the peoples’ consent and how they were used for corrupt purposes, which are both political injustices. Appointing “scandalous and ignorant favorites” to the judiciary is simply a corrupt political act. Monopolizing the beaver trade is an economic act, but instead of concentrating on how this diminishes the economic stability of the people and state of Virginia, he emphasized the wronging of his Majesty (presumably the King of England). The rest of Bacon’s complaints dealt with the government’s scrutiny of petty civil crimes within the colonies while they did nothing about the greatly unlawful acts of the Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteBacon was undoubtedly poor at the time of his rebellion, but because he masked his economic desperation with political complaints, the rebellion was much more successful than it would have been. Bacon also used peoples’ fear of Native Americans to spur action. As in America today, the colonists were more likely to rise up and take action against the violation of human and civil rights and the unlawful acts of government than react to unfair economic circumstances.
-Ben C.
I believe that Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature because he was angered by both Governor Berkeley’s economic policies towards farmers, and social policies towards Native Americans. Bacon felt that polices such as a high tax rate were not helping the common people in any way and the monopoly on the beaver trade was only defrauding Great Britain for the governor’s own personal gain. He also said that the colony was more dangerous since Berkeley did not go after Native Americans when the army had the chance, thus letting them steal their property and kill colonist. I believe that since the rebellion was based on rising up against a bad government it was a success. People such as small farmers who had experienced the hardships of living on a low income caused by the government could relate to those whose property had been destroyed by a force that could have been eliminated by the government years ago.
ReplyDeleteNathaniel Bacon’s complaints were more political than economic because his complaints talk about the actions of the people in power and then talks about the affects it has on the people’s economic welfare. Bacon relates his economic problems to the close relationship between the Native Americans and the political leaders. He complains that Governor William Berkeley is bias towards his elite group of friends and the natives because there are personal gains. Bacon seems to be more concerned about how the political leaders are acting because they go against what “his Majesty” wants. Bacon seems to talk about the economic problems as a side affect of the deeds Berkeley has done. A poor planter trying to convince people that high-ranking leaders are corrupt was not successful because it’s hard to prove. Bacon not being able to give sufficient evidence led to his rebellion being unsuccessful because not a lot of people supported him. – Brenda Herrera
ReplyDeleteBacon's complaints definitely seemed more political than economic in nature. One of his top complaints was about the unfairness of how certain people were treated, because Sir Berkeley had favorites. He pointed out that these favorites held public or political positions, and were much better off than the rest of the population. Bacon seemed to single out these political problems as the cause of the economic stress on the colony.
ReplyDeleteI feel if most of the complaints were economic, the rebellion would have had greater success. Sir Berkeley and the government may have taken the declaration as a list of economic challenges they should address, instead of a political attack they should tear down.
I believe that in the begginig, Bacon started this rebellion just as an economic complaint. He was poor and tired of bein taked unfairly by the government and wantd to do something about it. However as the ideas and people involed kept growing, it became more political. The people were angry with Berkley because he would not retaliate against the natives. He made his want to keep peace with the natives more important than his need to protect his citizens. I think this rebellion could have been more successful if Bacon stuck to the economic compaints. If too many complaints if different things come to the government, they wont know which to take proirity. Also, not everyone agreed with the political aspect of it, so if Bacon stuck with the economic aspect, he would hae appealed to more people and more people would have joined the rebellion.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in this declaration, Nathaniel Bacon focused on informing the people of all of the political wrong doings of Governor Berkeley and the other political leaders as opposed to the economic problems that the Virginian settlers were having. Although Bacon does focus more on the political problems, I believe he uses the economic problems to help his arguments appear to be more legitimate. I think that this fact greatly affected the success of the rebellion in a negative way. If Nathaniel Bacon had not focused so much on how the political leaders favored the Native Americans and more on all of the economic hardships that they were going through, he might have had more followers to assist him in the rebellion.
ReplyDelete- Jonathon Morrison
Politics and economics go hand in hand and although economic problems were the at the root of Bacon's discontent, his arguments/complains were a majority of the time political. He claimed that the political actions of the Governor, or lack there of were against the King and causing problems for the Kings pupils. Although the planters were angry about the Governor and his elite monopolizing the land and wealth, they were not fighting for their land back. Their underlying concern was being treated justly. They were fighting for the concept of "governing by the people, for the people." This is the clear message Bacon was attempting to portray in his declaration and this is the reason it go so many people riled up and lead to it's success.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Bacon's complaints were mostly political. He showed that all these traitors were not doing much to help their colonies; therefore they were putting these colonies in danger of being attacked. Although the arguments were mostly political, there were pieces of economical problems in the arguments. They "raised great unjust taxes upon the commonalty for the advancement of private favorites and other sinister ends." This was a huge burden on all the colonists, and this extra money they had to pay did not directly help them.
ReplyDeleteThis all helped the success of the rebellion. By showing everyone the problems, and bringing them forward publicly, Bacon was able to get a big following. Also by telling people that they were losing money that didn't help them, I think Bacon aroused more anger. Most people are very protective over their money and hate to lose it. I think this all helped to make Bacon's rebellion successful.
Bacon's complaints were more political than economic because he was angered at Governor Berkeley's tactics and abuse of his power as the Governor. Although Bacon did mention economic situations, such as the monopoly on the beaver industry or the unjust taxes, he was not angered by the economic situation as much as by the politics and lack of action by the Governor. He brought up how certain people were favored and how Native Americans were not punished for their crimes, a form of favoritism that he felt was unfair to the people that the Governor was supposed to be serving. I do think that this had an impact on the rebellion's success because it was able to spark an interest and bring attention to issues that the Governor had gotten away with. The source also was able to unite the people that had been cheated, such as small, poor farmers that wanted to take a stand. Ultimately, it would lead to success of the people and the rebellion.
ReplyDeleteI believe Nathaniel Bacon's complaints were primarily political because the only economic things he complained about were the beaver trade and ridiculous taxes with no results. Everything else he said was political.
ReplyDeleteNathaniel Bacon wrote this declaration to Virginia's government in 1676. He wrote this in Virginia to explain to the government why he was leading this rebellion and why the people were unhappy with what the government was doing. His main points were about how Virginia’s government always took the Native American's side on issues when they should be protecting the Virginian settlers.
I didn’t know much about Bacon’s rebellion before reading this, but this declaration made clear what was happening enough for me to understand. I believe it was a reliable source since he was trying to make an argument against a superior about what he was doing wrong. When Bacon is trying to make a point about how Governor Berkeley is unfair, it’s best to tell the truth because Berkely was most likely to debate the truth, so telling a lie would just give him a stronger argument against Bacon.
Bacon’s main point was that the lower class people didn’t have the same rights as the upper class and this wasn’t fair. A person’s rights shouldn’t be determined by their social or economic class. This document was unsuccessful in that Bacon’s rebellion was stopped and he didn’t get what he asked for, but it did make lower class people aware that they could have rights also, and these thoughts would eventually lead to justice in the future.
Bacon's complaints were more political in nature than economic. He first states that the taxes are way to high and that the money that is being taxed is clearly not going to public works or services of any kind. He then says that the judges that are in power in the Virginian courts are bias towards the rich and powerful and do not serve their purpose as the great equalizers they should be.
ReplyDeleteTo defend his position, Bacon says that Governor Berkeley has monopolized the beaver trade and is taking money away from the King. He views this as an act of treason punishable by death.
In 1676 Bacon and his rebel forces lashed out, raiding several noble's estates and killing many of the local Native Americans who were viewed at the time as a force that was limiting European expansion westward.
Bacon’s complaints were more political in nature. He was angered by the economic effects, but the problem itself was political. He complained how Berkeley abused his position in power and how he ignored the needs of the citizens—and although some of the problems that came out of this were economic, that main issue was that the person ruling them was unfit to rule, making it a political issue. I do think this had an impact on the rebellion’s success because for there to be a rebellion it would always come back to being a political issue, and what I mean by that is they wouldn’t rebel unless they thought those in power weren’t fit to rule—so even if they were angered entirely for economic reasons it would always come down to the fact that those in power didn’t listen when they complained. I believe that in order for there to be any sort of rebellion, it will always have to at some point relate to politics, even if the issue they’re fighting about isn’t political when they actually begin to fight the government about it, it becomes political.
ReplyDeleteErin H.
I believe Bacon's complaints were that of a political nature, rather than economic. However, there were still many economical aspects within these complaints. He was speaking mostly of how the governor and other people in power were affecting the economy of the colony, and not the other way around. Bacon was more concerned with trying to out the political figures who he believed were corrupted. It seems that because he was trying to call out all these political figures, it caused the rebellion to suffer a loss of support. If he had evidence or something to convince his followers, I believe he would have made a much larger impact. Also, if he had focused more on the economic struggle the colony faced rather than the political cause behind it, the rebellion would have been much more successful. --Maliyah T.
ReplyDeleteI think that Bacon’s complaints in “The Declaration” were mostly political in nature. He has a couple main points that are economic—the unjust taxes and the beaver trade, but everything else was political. I think this probably didn’t help his case because people tend to have a much stronger reaction to hard facts. Numbers, statistics and money are much easier to understand. Governor Berkeley probably cared more about his money than how people were treated. This isn’t necessarily true, but just an assumption based on the facts given and what I know about personalities of politicians. The rebellion was a success in the end, so they must have done something right.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the issues Bacon addressed were both political and economical, but more political because he put a lot of emphasis on the fact that Berkeley was going against the will of the king. He betrayed his people by allowing violent attack by the Indians to continue without punishment. I'm sure that this declaration did open the doors for the rebellion, it was strong worded and strong willed which I'm sure caught the eye of political leaders.
ReplyDelete(I'm not sure how to take a comment off so I will just continue)
ReplyDeleteAlong with stirring things up among the political leaders, it probably encouraged other colonists to join the rebellion. I believe that this would create a chain reaction within the colony, and maybe even other colonies. It only takes one person to start something like Bacon did, and the way he did was incredibly brave, and courageous.
After reading the selection I felt that Bacon’s grievances were more political in nature then they were economic. Not to say that there wasn’t any economic reasoning within the selection. I feel that he wanted to be in control more than he wanted people to get what he was asking for. This had a negative effect on the rebellion because not everyone in the rebellion could hold office at once or even wanted to hold office. Also, if you are trying to get people to rebel, like Bacon was then it is good to have actual incentives to fight. He started the rebellion to gain power and succeeded until the old governor came back. After he was out of power he gave up on the rebellion which shows he was just trying to get control of the government.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Bacon's complaints were mostly political, but some were economical. He mostly had problems with Governor Berkeley, who he accused of not doing what he was put into power to do. Instead, Berkeley was said to had monopolized trade and protected the natives instead of helping the colonists. He also had problems with being overly taxed. I think Bacon might just have been trying to gain control for himself, as he gave up with his own rebellion after he lost control when Berkeley returned. He may have wanted control because he saw himself as the only one fit to handle the problems, but it still means he had at least partially selfish intentions.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understood, these complaints seem more political than economical. The first complaint seems more economically concerned because it charges the ruling party increasing the taxes too much. Some complaints are about supporting the Natives Americans even though, Bacon claim’s, they murder the civilians. Bacon even compiles a list of people who he labels as “traitors to the King” and declares that they are outlaws. By doing this, he makes it look as if he has more power than the Governor. This declaration probably brought the rebellion together because it stated the complaints of the public. By making the public seem stronger than the Governor, Bacon was probably also able scare the ruling party a little. This could have eased the process of overthrowing the ruling party.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many before me who have said that Bacon's complaints were mainly political. Though the actions of those he was going against caused economic problems for him, some of which he pointed out, he was rebelling against political actions that were unfair to the people. When a leader misuses their power and does not serve the people, it can have economic effects but the source is political.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that Bacon pointed out real, immediate political flaws in the government, combined with an economic incentive for others, was what ultimately made his rebellion a success. The reason he was able to achieve his goals was not wholly political or economic, but rather a combination of the two that made people want to stand behind him because they could identify with his situation and complaints.
In my opinion, the complaints that Bacon pointed out in this source were mainly political rather than economical. I agree with HarAmrit that the first complaint by Bacon is economical because Bacon brings up the issue of taxes. The rest of the complaints are political, Bacon talks about how the people are being treated poorly by "Majesty". I think that this did have an impact on the rebellion's success because the only reason for there to be a rebellion is due to a political action. People can't rebel against the economy, however they can rebel against political leaders and they way that the rulers have treated the people.
ReplyDeleteHannah M.
Nathaniel Bacon's complaints were based more economic in nature because he was more upset over the spreading poverty and lack of action on the part of the governor. I think that althought it may not have been his first intentions the complaints grew political and aimed at governor Berkely whome Bacon thought was being unfair and putting his wealth ahead of the people.
ReplyDeleteI think the rebellion needed the men of the same economy status as Bacon it aquired through the complaints of economic nature and so that definatley helped its success. I also think the political complaints helped the success because it would be very easy to create a rebellion if the people were convinced of a corrupt government and they were alreaedy weary of this being controlled by England.
Upon having read the passage in question, I believe that Bacon's complaints were mostly political in nature. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I believe that Bacon's only had a problem with the political aspects of the predicament he saw the Virginians as being in and merely worded his complaints in the manner that he did so as to rally those in discontent with economic aspects of the situation and gain their support. I feel that this definitely had an impact in the rebellion’s success, because while it did not reshape Virginia quite like he had hoped it would, Bacon's rebellion was a success in many ways and much of its success was due to its numbers, which were strengthened by Bacon's ability to rally people of different discontents for the same wrong to come together and fight for what they believed in, or rather believed against. -David S
ReplyDeleteBacon's complaints were more political in nature, though he did use economic issues as major complaints. I think Bacon was mainly after more respect and power in society for the lower class people like him, citing that he thought Sir William Berkely did not treat all groups equally in the colony. If the complaints were only economic in nature, then why would such extreme actions have to take place to fix the problem, such as slaughtering Native Americans? Bacon was able to use his platform to get other lower class members on his side because he was fighting for more than money. If other colonists had thought that Bacon just wanted to be wealthier, than they would not have joined him in the rebellion.
ReplyDeleteBacon's arguments are more political than economic. He complains of people doing things that colonists and, more importantly, the King do not like. He thinks the government is wasting resources like the army on useless tasks. It seems like Bacon is just complaining about things he does not like about politics. If bacon had used more arguments geared towards economics instead of politics I think people would have paid more attention to him and not think he was just an angry, stubborn man unhappy with his government. People are more worried about their own money than who rules them and how so the rebellion would have had more support.
ReplyDeleteBacon's declaration is tended more to economical problems then political.As he speaks for the people of Virgina who were poor and people who were heavily taxed and also for those who were killed by the Indians, while the government did nothing to solve these issues and constantly protected the Indians ather then their own peolple. Bacon's Declaration did make it in history but did not help the rebellion as much it was expected. The Declaration seemed it was more of an insult for Berkely and the higher authorities
ReplyDeleteBacon's complaints were both economic and political, but they leaned more to the political side. He complained about how planters like him were not represented in the government and basically says that he hates the Native Americans and that they should have killed them when they had the chance. He claims that "his Majesty" played favorites to the Native Americans and people who had money and accuses people of being traitors and says that they should be locked up. Bacon claims to be the oppressed and then he goes out and murders a bunch of Native Americans. I think that if Bacon had instead denounced his Majesty, whom he claimed to be loyal too, yet apparently his majesty did not agree so much with Bacon's ideals seeing as he sent a fleet of British ships to stop the rebellion, and perhaps stayed more on the economic course, and then tied it in with the political- that the lower class was carrying the burden while they were not fairly represented in the government- his rebellion may have been a bit stronger than it was. Also, his writing is kind of contradictory and hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteBacon’s complaints were more focused on the politics of the colony. I think Bacon was just really mad about how the government was treating the lower class (which was everyone besides the governor and the elites) colonists. He talked a lot about Berkeley not “in any measure advance[ing] this hopeful colony either by fortifications, towns, or trade.” Bacon seemed really mad about the government not protecting them from the Indians “who now in all places burn, spoil, [and] murder”. I think the rebellion still would have had the same result in the end because, in my opinion, the colonists really just wanted a reason to start a rebellion. Plus, it wasn’t like the colonists were not being treated fairly economically either, Bacon just didn’t say it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the source I feel that Bacon's complaints were more economic in nature and passage just happened to moments in his complaints that are more economic than political. But in the end it seemed that politics were more important and the economic parts of it were there for support. More or less it helped him with the rebellion because if he didn't act on what he wanted then I think it would have made less of an impact. As soon as he died it ended the rebellion but it left an impact on Virginia planters who remembered the good of black and white working together.
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