Bacon's Rebellion and the Origins of Systemic Racism

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the key figures, dates, and sociopolitical consequences of Bacon's Rebellion (1676) as described in the lecture transcript.

Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)

The first full-scale armed insurrection in Colonial America that united black and white indentured servants and African slaves against Governor William Berkeley and the wealthy plantation owners of East Virginia.

Nathaniel Bacon (1647-1676)

A landowner and son of wealthy English aristocrats who led a rebellion against his cousin-by-marriage, Governor Berkeley, after being accused of treason and vigilantism.

Governor William Berkeley (1605-1677)

The governor of the Virginia colonies and owner of the Green Spring House plantation who was accused of corruption and favoring his friends in trade agreements.

John Rolfe (1585-1622)

The individual who brought sweet tobacco seeds to the Jamestown region in 1610, establishing tobacco as the colony's primary cash crop.

Anglo-Powhatan Wars (1610-1646)

Conflicts resulting from the encroachment of tobacco plantations on Native American lands and the land-grabbing policies of colonial governors like Thomas West.

1619 CE

The year the first 20 Africans arrived in Jamestown via a Dutch ship; they were purchased by Governor Sir George Yeardley and initially treated similarly to indentured servants.

1640

The year slavery was first introduced as a legal option for punishment, establishing a class of African slaves as the lowest social tier.

Green Spring House

The plantation established by William Berkeley near Jamestown after his appointment as governor in 1641.

Declaration of the People of Virginia

A document issued by Nathaniel Bacon on 30 July 1676 that charged Governor Berkeley with eight separate counts of corruption.

Susquehannock

The hostile and elusive Native American tribe that Bacon intended to fight, though he largely attacked the friendlier and more accessible Algonquians instead.

Dysentery

The illness that caused the death of Nathaniel Bacon in October 1676, leading to the eventual collapse of the rebellion.

John Ingram

The man who took charge of the rebellion after Bacon's death; he was less charismatic than Bacon and was eventually hanged by Berkeley.

Sir Herbert Jeffreys

The official sent by King Charles II to replace Berkeley and restore order; he attempted to reduce the power of the elite plantation owners before his death in 1678.

House of Burgesses

The legislative body of Virginia that passed laws barring indentured servitude and institutionalizing racial slavery following the rebellion.

13,000

The number of Africans in the Chesapeake population by 1700, comprising 13 percent of the population compared to only 300 in 1650.

Headright system

A policy reinstituted by the House of Burgesses to pacify poor farmers by promising any freeman 50 acres of land taken from Native Americans.

Treaty of Middle Plantation (1677)

An agreement that promised lands to Native Americans, which was later undermined by the headright system and continued colonial expansion.

White Supremacy (Ideology)

A social framework encouraged by the Virginia Assembly after the rebellion to minimize class differences between poor and wealthy whites by emphasizing racial differences between whites and blacks.