The study of historical events, such as "Bacon's Rebellion", is not an exacting science. Many times the results of the study lay to the perception of the reader. Bacon's Rebellion is yet marked in the history of Virginia, as being the only rebellion occurring in the Colony, during the 168 years of its existence preceding the American Revolution, and one hundred years exactly before that event (Force). The rebellion of Bacon, as it is improperly called, has been little understood, its cause and course being imperfectly explained by any authentic document hitherto possessed (Force). This paper will briefly describe the actions that occurred during the events known as "Bacon's Rebellion", and list some of the possible implications the rebellion may have created. As with the study of many historical events, there is no definite cause and effect scenario stating, "This happened as a result of that particular occurrence".
In 1674, King Charles II began the enforcement of heavy taxes on the American colonies. These taxes, which hit heavily on the poorer folks, were enacted and collected by justices and members of the House of Burgesses, under the direction of Virginian Governor William Berkeley. Charles also began splitting the colony into proprieties, contrary to the original charters, which left many of the poorer settlers with less valuable properties, this, too, was carried out by the House of Burgesses and Governor Berkeley. These conditions became worse as more settlers arrived and the demand for indentured servants increased. The prospects for indentured servants were less attractive as the lands being distributed became less valuable. Added to this mix, Indian attacks began to occur as the European settlements pushed into the frontier (Beverley). Settlers were hard pressed to survive, and began to look for scapegoats anywhere they could find them, settling on Indians and the ruling Governor.
