Bacon's Rebellion Essay: Race; Draft B Body

During the actual occurrence of Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, few races inhabited the Chesapeake region. Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans made up this population. Susquehannock, Deog, and Pamunkey Native tribes were tribes whom played great significance in the revolt. The Iroquoian Susquehannock were a tribe settled in the northern Chesapeake region - the claims of their land stretching far north and westward - with the Deog a rather foreign tribe which had lived upstream near the Potomac River, which emptied into Chesapeake Bay, and the Pamunkeys the largest remnant of the Pawhatan chiefdom residing near the colony. Along with these aborigines were approximately twenty Africans, presumed by many historians to be slaves of the Chesapeake colonists. The slaves were plrevelant because the colonists had been desperate for their work for labor-intensive tobacco crops ever seince they had begun commercially growing tobacco. Chiefly, the European colonists inhabiting the Chesapeake region were English. Their main econmoic export was tobacco and such allowed continued continued trade relations with their motherland. Betwixt these peoples, they were divided only by the statuses of indentured servants (those paying off a debt), poor freeman, and the elite (the wealthy planters). Despite the presence of three races, there was little diversity amongst them.

Europeans themselves believed, also, to be superior to the other inhabitants of the Chesapeake region. Upon the English's first encounter with Native Americans, they believed the red tinted skin of the natives to be the "sun's livery" and admired certain qualities they bore, such as their "calm dignity and poise... tender love... for family... and their simple, independent way of life..." But, the settlers also thought the Native Americans far lesser than themselves. Though their skins pigmentation gave way to praise by the Englishmen, the Native Americans' culture was what gave way to the Europeans' preconceptions of the aborigines as lesser than themselves. The natives were described as "having little humanite but shape" as they were "wild and unmanly," "ignorant of Civilitie, of Arts, of Religion; more brutish than the beasts they hunt." Thus, in this sense, due to their drastically "un-English" way they were dubbed as "savages." This discrimination of culture was borne by the close-minded beliefs of their motherland. Such views of one civilization type dominating another is prevalent throughout the histories of Europe, such as Christian above Jew. Stated in the most basal of ideas, racism towards the Native Americans was naught brought by their appearance, but their customs and culture. Africans were also the subjects of discrimination by the English. It was not so their [un-English ways]... [that] struck colonists most forcefully... but their un-English skin color." Dubbed as "black," in accordance with the hue of their skin and the color's definition, the Africans were thought of as inferior to all those of fairer skins. Select English definitions of black were "deeply stained with dirt; soiled, dirty, foul" and, for all intents and purposes, evil; moreover, when compared to the "purity" and "beauty" the own Europeans attributed with their own peach-tinted skin, those defined as black were the focal points of hatred and loathing. Misguided religious beliefs caused such discrimination. Such well worn paths cannot be so simply phrased as black and white, and a singular color alone. Aphorisms which humankind tends to enact result in only misconceptions. As thus, English settlers thought themselves as grander, more civilized, and all-around exceptional in comparison to the natives of Chesapeake and the slaves from Africa

There was incentive to revolt amongst the colonists, but certain activities of Native Americans were the final driving forces to push Bacon's Rebellion into existence. On the Virginia frontier in 1670s, Susquehannock and Deog raiding parties appeared. Frightened at the their arrival and angered by the government's minimalistic efforts of protection (which included constructing forts at the heads of nearby rivers, Bacon rallied fellow frontiersman against the raiding parties, claiming the "unauthorized campaign against the encroaching Indians... [would provide] release for the colonist's frustrations." Governor William Berkley was against the freemen's actions, fearing the peaceful tribe of Pamunkeys would take offense to them after they had created treaties allowing the natives to keep their lands and the Europeans' the land they had already built upon. Eventually, though, the Virginian government commanded the Pamunkeys to aid them in the defense of their colony. Twenty years prior, on must know, on another campaign for the colony's defense, the Queen of the Pamunkeys lost both her husband, Tottopottomoy, and over a third of her tribesmen. At negotiations pertaining to the natives contribution to the defense campaign, she was obstinate and after much debate, the queen allowed one dozen of her men to be under to English's command. Chesapeake region settlers cared little for the Native Americans, and the discrimination of aborigine's culture was so great it resulted in the faith that not even the death of kindred, families, and husbands whom had helped to defend them all was pointless. Contrarily, much as the Europeans admired, the natives allowed kindness and offered more than should have, considering the circumstances placed upon them. Moreover, though, their leaders knew better than to lead their own people to death. Bacon, though, saw these efforts still as worthless and began accusing the government of aiding the natives instead of the English, turning soon onto the peaceful Pamunkeys. Despite the facts of the natives "never at any time btraye'd or injuryed the English," nor even raising their weapons in defense as they were killed and pillaged, the tribe became a target for the colonists' hate. In the mind of the Englishmen, all those of a similar, lesser breed were sort of a gestalt, a being that came together in uniform to plot against them, turning the whites against one another in their perverse ways. Yet, such a misconception resulted in the jealous guarding of borders, bleeding hate, and weapons poised against peaceful throats. Once more, the aphorism the Europeans placed upon the Native Americans resulted in their quickened destruction in wars of prejudice. Even though the trends of revolt were brewing beneath the surface of the Chesapeake colony, it was only when the Native raiding parties came there was basis behind their complaint.


Few Africans participated in the rebellion. But, their contribution “…demonstrated that poor whites and poor blacks could be united in a cause…” The elite planter class feared that, joined together against them, the poor would overthrow the rich and thus “hastened the transition into racial slavery.” There was rational fear of those who have been prosecuted, suppressed, and otherwise broken by the English’s own hands would eventually strike back and rise to the powers within them, and, as such, strict laws were imposed. But, naught of such a revolt happened despite the English’s prosecutions of Africans. Moreover, though, this showed that, despite discrimination and racism, with the birth of a common enemy, alliances could be formed and the contempt Africans and Englishmen for one another temporarily veiled in order to rid themselves of such a threat.

After Bacon’s rebellion, the servant labor system gave way to a slave labor system defined by racial hierarchy. Discrimination against Africans grew more common in the English colonies as more of the abducted were imported. Slaves were present in Chesapeake since 1619. Their slavery and forced labor was made easier by the culture shock of the decimation of their African homelands and the abduction of peoples into the slave trade. Such a distinct change in custom, language, and scenery resulted in the Africans truckle manner to the Europeans for they had few, if any, other options. Unlike the indentured servants of the servant labor system, slaves could never be freed and had no political power, not to mention the life-long labor that provided planters with wealth. Moreover, tensions present before Bacon’s rebellion greatly lessened. The fear of revolt by the Europeans was strong, though. For slaves were unable to see other slaves of even leave the premises of those who owned them, essentially, it was a forced imprisonment and denial of human rights Then again, such a thing is slavery. Europeans, also, wanted to be better than each other. With the arrival of slave labor and Africans, the English could feel overwhelmingly superior to their slaves instead of attempting to outdo each other. African labor, racial discrimination, and the slave labor system replaced the tensions brought on by servant labor system and fellow Europeans turning against each other.

Unfortunately, racism and discrimination survive to bleed strife on all Americans. The political system, for instance, believes that African Americans are the most likely to deal drugs and weapons. Take the ‘sting’ operation that occurred in 2007 at Todd Beamer High School. The undercover police officers focused their attentions on those of colored skin, instead of the majority of the European (white, also known as” Caucasian”) school population that sold drugs and guns on and near the campus. The officers, both fairer skinned themselves, viewed the drug world with bias instead of with cool level headed focus as they should have in order to acquire the multiple drug rings at the school, instead they only stopped one, and most likely only a portion of it. George W. Bush, the current president, branded Iraq and its inhabitants as a common enemy to American, even when the terrorists from the traumatic 9-11 bombings came from Sudan. Bush’s greed for their long-buried oil, like Bacon and his men’s lust for the native’s land, heightened his discrimination and allowed him to sentence the peoples to genocide by way of his own troops. Moreover, Bush’s highly religious beliefs, by which his original statement for Iraq’s invasion was “God told me” to do it, led to the close-minded hatred of the Iraqi’s Muslim ways, much as the Chesapeake settlers. Even today, events of social racism occur on a daily basis everywhere in America. The censorship that public institutions place on discrimination only entices peoples to indulge in racism because such always brings reaction to one or more of the listeners, most often offence. Thriving in America, yet not most of the world, racism and discrimination continue to afflict its peoples.