It is the year 1676, and there has been word of dispute between Sir William Berkley, the royal governor of Virginia, and Nathaniel Bacon, a land owner. I have been told by fellow servants, who work with me at the tobacco plantation, that a shortage of land and their complicated relationships with both friendly and hostile tribes are the reasons for their dispute. After experiencing two deadly uprisings in Virginia in 1622 and 1644 by the Indians, Governor Berkley created a policy that focused on honoring alliances with friendly tribes, in hope that contact would be minimal and peace would be maintained. The population of Chesapeake continued to grow, which created a large quantity of colonists who were searching for more and more land. During their quest, these land hungry colonists started encroaching on Indian land, erupting in violence all along the frontier. …show more content…
We overheard that a laborer was murdered on Nathaniel Bacon’s plantation, which made him determined to seek revenge, making no differentiation between hostile and friendly Indians. According to Roark, Johnson, Cohen, Stage and Hartman (2014), “Governor Berkley pronounced Bacon a rebel, threatened to punish him for treason, and called for new elections of burgesses who, Berkley believes, would endorse his get-tough policy” (p. 67). In June 1676, the new legislature passed certain measures, of which were known as Bacon’s Laws. We were told that the settlers wanted revenge, not peace, and that they would be following Nathaniel Bacon’s lead, pillaging and ransacking the plantations, gathering the slaves and servants, and burning Jamestown’s capital to the