Almost everyone knows about or has heard of Bacon’s Rebellion before. Bacon’s Rebellion is considered to be one of the first organized uprisings in Colonial America. (If you want some more information about it you can find a short summary here.) One of Nathaniel Bacon’s famous moves during his Rebellion was the creation of the “Manifesto Concerning the Troubles in Virginia”; also known as “Bacon’s Manifesto”. The targeted audience of the Manifesto is William Berkeley, governor of Virginia. There was always one question that kept bothering me throughout the whole time I was reading “Bacon’s Manifesto”. Was Bacon a patriot calling for change and security of the people, or a rebel waiting for his chance to seize power and money?
Let’s head over to the Manifesto itself.
A very convincing statement is made by Bacon already in the first paragraph:
“… if sincerely to aim at his Majesty’s honour and the public good without any reservation or by interest; if to stand in the gap after so much blood of our dear brethren bought and sold; if after the loss of a great part of his Majesty’s colony deserted and dispeopled…”
If I’m not mistaken, according to this citation Bacon is concerned about the Indian attacks on the Virginian Planters and the empty response to them by the King and the colonial officials. At this point, he is proving to be a responsible and concerned patriot. This section may look convincing, but let’s take a closer look at the second half of the first sentence:
“…if to stand in the gap after so much blood of our dear brethren bought and sold; if after the loss of a great part of his Majesty’s colony deserted and dispeopled…”
Bacon is really troubled about those Indians and he especially doesn’t like that they are trying to take over pieces of Virginian land. By “standing in the gap”, he most likely means that he is going to form some sort of resistance against the Indians by himself, since the authorities (William Berkeley) aren’t going to do anything about it.
So far, Bacon seems like an independent nationalist who is trying to protect his country and people, but is there anything in the Manifesto that can contribute to a total switch of opinion? Yes. Let’s examine the last sentence of the third passage.
“Now what greater guilt can be than to oppose and endeavour the destruction of these honest, quiet neighbours of ours? …”
Previously, Bacon was telling us how the people of the colonies were being devastated by Indians and how he will stand up for the people by himself, but now he is also taunting the authorities with sarcasm in his Manifesto. He is calling the Indians “honest, quiet neighbours of ours”, which is probably based on the government’s neutral stance towards the Native Americans. The rebellious side of Nathaniel Bacon is starting to uncover and Bacon’s wrath towards colonial rule is becoming exceptionally obvious.
In conclusion, Nathaniel Bacon turns out to be more of a bloodthirsty dissident than a patriot. Bacon is NOT looking for a peace-treaty or compromise with the Native Americans and he is NOT looking for the government’s aid. He is searching for a way to eradicate the Indians solely with the support of his followers, and he is attempting to do it illegally and without permission.
American Literature 
When I hear “Bacon’s Revolution”, I always like to ask if he had consulted General Orange Juice or Captain Hash Browns first…. LOL! We are gonna start a breakfast revolution! XD
You’re mistaken, it’s all because of Captain Crunch.
Yes, Bacon indeed turned out to be a bloodthirsty murderer, he had hated the Indians so much that he manipulated his own people just to get them on his side. In his speech he made everyone feel as if they were obliged to do what he says and that no one should tell them otherwise.