Nathaniel Bacon was an English aristocrat who moved to [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/Virginia]] in 1674 with a gift of £1,800 from his father to start a life there. Bacon bought an 820 acre farm and expected to be welcomed into Virginia society, since he was related to many of the leading people, including Governor Berkeley. At first, [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/William Berkeley|Berkeley]] invited Bacon to join his Council, but commercial rivalry (they were both trading extensively with the Indians) and the alarm caused by [[King Philip's War]] in New England led to disputes over Indian policy on the edge of the English settlement. This bloomed into a rebellion when Bacon rallied other frustrated men who had grievances against the government. Although Bacon had easily acquired an existing estate when he arrived in Virginia, most men were not as fortunate. Poor men who had come to the colony as indentured servants were unable to buy existing plantations, and Berkeley's Indian policy made it difficult for them to push beyond the line of settlement and clear "new land" was occupied by native people. Bacon convinced them that the governor was trying to hold them back, and even to renege on the contract that had been implied in their indentures: that if they survived long enough to be free, they would have all the advantages of the planters for whom they had worked. Bacon stirred up class resentment that united poor "free" whites with indentured whites and even with Africans, which alarmed the [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/Jamestown]] elites. Bacon and his men attacked their Native American adversaries without the governor's authorization, so Berkeley issued a warrant for Bacon's arrest. Rather than hiding, Bacon marched on Jamestown, the government fled to the coast, and the rebels burned the settlement. Then, before things could go much farther, Nathaniel Bacon fell ill and died. The rebels were pursued by Sir Thomas Grantham, who caught up several groups that had split from each other. Most surrendered readily, but a final group of over a hundred holdouts consisting of about equal numbers of [[Slavery|enslaved]] and [[Dan's History Web/US 1/Topic Index/Indentured Servant|indentured]] men did not want to return to servitude if there was no reward for them at its end. Grantham could not offer them much, but he negotiated amnesty for them and they finally surrendered and laid down their guns. Most were executed, although it's unclear whether Sir Thomas had deceived them or the governor had decided not to honor the agreement. Although Berkeley was recalled to London, the government began working to separate the races, phase out indenture, and make slavery both a permanent and an inherited condition as a result of the rebellion. For more info: https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/bacons-rebellion-1676-1677/