American History

Bacons Rebellion is a popular revolt that took place in 1676 in colonial Virginia and which was led by Nathaniel bacon. This rebellion is attributed to several causes which led to disagreements in the Virginia colony. The causes include economic problems such as moribund tobacco prices, high taxes, high prices of English manufactured goods, rising commercial competition from the Carolinas as well as Maryland, and the English market which was becoming increasingly restricted. The colonists also resented the special treatment those close to the governor, Berkeley were being given. They also resented the restrictions on their rights to vote and the fact that they were being forced to remain subordinate to an aristocratic (noble) minority. They also felt that the governor was not adequately protecting them from attacks by Native Americans (Indians).  The fact that Berkley had been unable to defend the frontier against Indians was what actually precipitated the rebellion.  The colonists actually sought a scapegoat whom they could blame their problems on and found it in the Indians. The colonists felt that Indians had to either be killed or expelled from their land whether they were friendly or not. The fact that Berkley protected those Indians who were loyal to the British and was not reluctant in attacking and displacing them caused a disagreement between him and the colonists who sought to occupy more lands that at the time belonged to the Indians. It was this disagreement that escalated to the rebellion.

Small planters as well as indentured servants (blacks as well as whites) participated in the rebellion fighting for a cause that caused the Great Planters who were the ruling class to be alarmed. The rebellion marked a turning point in the regions ideas of race resulting to the birth of black slavery.  In their reaction, the Great Planters got alarmed and started treating the Small Planters and white indentured servants in a way that was better and different from the way the black servants were treated. Of course there were distinctions between blacks and whites before the rebellion and attitudes on the parts whites and may be blacks which made them differentiate themselves and think that they were superior to the other race. However, at this time, some black people owned land and property, had servants and were connected to the legal system as well as churches. At the time, servants, whether black or white were treated the same way. Badly, just like slaves. All this however changed after the rebellion as people of African origin were distinguished from those of European descent. Racial lines related to slavery hardened in attempts to control some of the poor people. Laws were enacted which made black people hereditary slaves. Bacons Rebellion caused the Great Planters of Virginia to change their views on freedmen, slaves, and racial difference.
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Why the Great Planters switched to Slaves
    There are several reasons as to why the Great Planters switched to using slaves as their main source of labor. It is worth to note that the main reason as to why the British migrated North America was in search of greener pastures as the economy in Britain was at that time very poor. Most of them would migrant as laborers for those who had already established themselves as planters and work for a certain period of time after which they were freed to start their own lives. With time however, the British economy improved and there was no need for people to migrate in search of better economic opportunities. In addition to this, the many wars had left Britain in ruins calling the need for laborers to rebuild it. There were now more job opportunities and chances to improve ones economic status in Britain. The number of people seeking to migrate to North America greatly reduced consequently reducing the number of available servants. In reaction to this, the planters turned to slavery as it was the only source of labor available to them. 

    The opportunities for freed men in colonial Virginia during the 1660s and 70s were also diminishing. The freedmen did not have as much freedom as the Great Planters. They did not for example have rights to vote and freely participate in the regions economy. They were treated more or less the same way the slaves were only that they were free. They were subordinate to a minority noble class which ruled them without their representation. They could also not freely participate in economic activities such as mercantilism which was increasingly becoming restricted. Lack of opportunities for this group of people discouraged more English people from migrating to North America in search of greater economic opportunities hence a decline in servants and laborers yet the need had increased due to the high demand of tobacco and later cotton. This forced the planters to use slavery as the main source of labor as it seemed to be the only available option.

The Advantages of Slavery
    Use of slaves as laborers had several advantages to the Great Planters. Once bought, slaves belonged to the masters until their death. Laws were enacted which made them hereditary slaves implying that even their children belonged to the master and had to work for them until they either died or were sold off. Unlike the white laborers who worked for an agreed upon time (contract) and who had to be paid freedom dues after the contract expired, slaves signed no contracts and could not be freed at any date in time. Neither were they paid any dues for their service. They had no rights whatsoever. Slavery was therefore a much cheaper and economically advantageous source of labor to the Great Planters. It was actually a long term investment for the Great Planters.

    The laws also stripped slaves of all their rights. Unlike freedmen who would own weapons upon their release from indenture servitude which made them a dangerous force, slaves were perceived to pose no danger to the planters as the laws forbade them from owning any arms. Disarming slaves was a way of preventing future rebellions against the Planters as had been experienced during Bacons Rebellion.

How the Virginia Assembly Separated Races
    In the years that followed the Bacons Rebellion, racism reached its peak in Colonial Virginia. The Virginia Assembly enacted a myriad of laws that that distinguished and separated the various races in the colony. In 1705 for example, the assembly passed a law whose aim was to sort out the confusion that surrounded the various forms of servitude in the colony. It stated that all servants brought into the colony and who were not Christians in their native countries were regarded as slaves. As slaves, they had no rights whatsoever. The law makers tried to use religion to justify their enslaving of fellow humans but for common people, the meaning of the law was clear that any African brought to the colony was a slave and not a servant. This is because Africa was the only region in which Christianity was not the form of religion. Christians or rather Englishmen were not permanent servants or slaves who were inheritable, they were only held to temporary servitude after which they were paid their freedom dues and allowed to go.  The powers of free blacks were also trimmed in that they were barred from testifying in courts and denied the right to vote. Black servants as well as free men could also be subjected to a range of punishments that were regarded inappropriate for the whites. Interracial marriage was also criminalized to prevent the rise of mulattos.

    Although Bacons Rebellion did not directly cause the switch from servants to slaves, it did inadvertently trigger the falling dominos to slavery. The rebellion caused the Great Planters to fear the Small planters who initially were servants before their freedom. After the rebellion, Great Planters concentrated on differentiating between races and treat white servants differently from the blacks to prevent such unity and recurrence of such a rebellion in future. The rebellion caused the poorer people (smaller planters, white servants and blacks) to realize that it was possible to win over the ruling class if they united. In order to avoid future insurgents, The Great Planters concentrated on frustrating the poor people so as to weaken them. Black servants were the target of this plan which resulted to the birth of their slavery. While Bacons rebellion is not directly responsible for the switch from use of servants to slaves, it triggered the process as the participation of black people in the rebellion raised an alarm among the planters causing them to divide the races and strip blacks of all their rights and subjecting them to slavery.