In 1670, before Nathaniel Bacon arrived in Virginia, Sir William Berkeley, the corrupt governor at the time, disenfranchised all of the landless freemen because they were thought to be troublemakers. These men were, of course, already irritated because they had received no land after working several years as indentured servants. The arrival of Bacon in 1674, pushed …show more content…
Berkeley was very selfish. For the most part, he only allowed for his close friends to be part of the fur trade, and when Nathaniel Bacon eventually asked for a license to become part of this elite trading club, of course he was rejected.
Soon after, a group of Native Americans attacked and killed a few white settlers because they were starting to creep more and more into Indian territory. Because Berkeley would not send troops to capture the enemy, Bacon requested official commission to lead a volunteer army that would be no cost to the colonists. When his request was denied, this event, along with the rejection of a license to engage in the fur trade thrusts Bacon into a full-on revolt against Berkeley. Events following include the burning of Jamestown and the killing of friendly Indians.
Bacon's reasoning behind the rebellion was more a matter of impatience rather than more important and legitimate complaints by the landless freemen. Because the landless freemen were willing to "get back" at Berkeley in any way possible for their disenfranchisement, most of Bacon's supporters were former working men and indentured servants. They were oblivious to the stupidity of the uprising. All the servants were interested in was justification, and they were willing to do whatever it took to gain what they