Jamestown - Bacon's Rebellion

Summary

This historical overview explores the labor dynamics in early English colonies in America, focusing on the Chesapeake Bay area. Initially, white indentured servants were the primary workforce, with African slavery emerging later. The indenture system, coupled with the headright system, allowed planters to expand their landholdings. However, the scarcity of land and the high mortality rate among indentured servants led to social unrest, exemplified by Nathaniel Bacon's rebellion in 1676. This event, along with the labor-intensive nature of tobacco farming and the need for a more controlled labor force, contributed to the shift towards African slavery as the dominant labor system in Virginia by the early 1700s.

Takeaways

• 📅 In the early English colonies in America, specifically in the Chesapeake area, slavery was not the dominant labor system until the late 1600s, despite the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in 1619.
• 👷‍♂️ The majority of laborers in Virginia were white indentured servants who agreed to work for a planter for three to seven years in exchange for their passage across the Atlantic.
• 💵 Planters were incentivized to bring over indentured servants as they received 50 additional acres of land for each servant, allowing for rapid expansion of their landholdings.
• 🌱 Tobacco cultivation was labor-intensive and soil-depleting, necessitating continuous expansion of land for farming, which led to conflicts with Native Americans.
• 🏞️ The scarcity of land and the push towards the Appalachian mountains resulted in increased tensions and conflicts with the indigenous populations.
• 🏛️ The House of Burgesses, Virginia's semi-democratic government, was dominated by tobacco planters and had a conciliatory stance towards Native Americans to avoid further conflict.
• 🔥 Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion in 1676 against Governor Berkeley's policies, particularly his refusal to engage in aggressive wars against Native Americans, reflecting the frustrations of landless white and African American men.
• 🤝 Bacon's rebellion was notable for its biracial composition, including both white and African American men, highlighting the shared interests of these groups in opposing the colonial government.
• 🏠 The rebellion and the subsequent realization by the planter class that indentured servitude could lead to social unrest prompted a shift towards African slavery as a more stable and controlled labor source.
• ⏳ The transition to African slavery in Virginia began around 1700, marking a significant change in labor dynamics and the development of racism in early America.

Q & A

What was the primary form of labor in Virginia during the early English colonies in America?

The primary form of labor in Virginia during the early English colonies was white indentured servants, not enslaved Africans.

How did the indentured servants come to Virginia?

Indentured servants came from England, and the planters they agreed to work for paid their passage across the Atlantic.

What was the typical duration of an indenture contract for servants?

The typical duration of an indenture contract was three to seven years.

What was the advantage for planters in the indentured servitude system?

For every person brought over from England, planters received an additional 50 acres of land, allowing them to expand their landholdings quickly.

Why did the high death rate among indentured servants benefit the planters?

The high death rate meant that planters often did not have to fulfill their promise of providing land and tools to the indentured servants, as many did not survive their indenture.

What was the significance of the House of Burgesses in Virginia's political landscape?

The House of Burgesses was the first semi-democratic form of government in the new world, similar to a parliament, where local issues were debated, and it later played a significant role in leading the charge for the American Revolution.

How did the cultivation of tobacco impact the distribution of political power in Virginia?

Tobacco planters, who were the ones cultivating this labor-intensive crop, held significant political power in the House of Burgesses due to their economic influence.

What was the headright system, and how did it contribute to the expansion of landholdings in Virginia?

The headright system granted planters additional land for bringing over more indentured servants, which incentivized the expansion of landholdings for tobacco cultivation.

Why did the situation of white indentured servants and black slaves begin to diverge around 1700?

The increasing scarcity of land and the need for a more stable and controlled labor force led to a shift towards African slavery as the dominant form of labor in Virginia around 1700.

What was the role of Nathaniel Bacon's rebellion in the transition to African slavery in Virginia?

Bacon's rebellion, led by a biracial group of landless individuals against the government, highlighted the potential for unrest among the growing population of landless whites. This prompted planters to consider a more controlled labor source, such as enslaved Africans, to prevent further rebellions.

Outlines

00:00

🏴‍☠️ Chesapeake Labor System and the Rise of Slavery

The video discusses the labor system in the Chesapeake area during the early English colonization of America. Despite the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619, slavery did not become the dominant labor form until the late 1600s. Initially, the majority of laborers were white indentured servants from England who agreed to work for a planter for three to seven years in exchange for their passage across the Atlantic. The indenture system was advantageous for planters as they received 50 additional acres of land for each servant brought over, allowing rapid expansion of landholdings. However, the high mortality rate among indentured servants meant that planters often did not have to fulfill their promise of providing land and tools. The video poses the question of why, given the success of the indentured servitude and headright system, African slavery became the dominant labor form by 1700, with 15% of Virginia's population being enslaved Africans.

05:03

🌾 The Political and Economic Shifts in Virginia

The video delves into the development of political power and the economy in Virginia, focusing on the establishment of the House of Burgesses in 1619, which was a semi-democratic form of government similar to a parliament. This body was dominated by tobacco planters who held significant power. The power structure in Virginia consisted of a few wealthy planters, a small number of free white farmers, a large group of white indentured servants with little political power, and a tiny number of black slaves. The video highlights the labor-intensive nature of tobacco cultivation and its detrimental impact on soil health, necessitating constant expansion of land for farming. As white settlers moved westward, conflicts with Native Americans increased. The House of Burgesses, now responsible to the King of England, sought to avoid further conflict, leading to dissatisfaction among white servants and freemen who were struggling to make a living as land became scarce.

10:03

🔥 Bacon's Rebellion and the Shift to Slave Labor

The video recounts Nathaniel Bacon's rebellion against Governor Berkeley's policies, which were perceived as lenient towards Native Americans. Bacon, frustrated by the lack of aggressive action against the Native Americans, led a biracial militia that attacked Native American villages and eventually set fire to Jamestown. The rebellion, led by landless white and African American men, highlighted the growing unrest among the servant class. The video suggests that the rebellion was a turning point for Virginia's leaders, who began to reconsider indentured servitude due to the social and economic challenges it posed. The planters started to view enslaved Africans as a more reliable labor source that would never gain freedom, leading to a shift towards slavery as the dominant labor system.

Keywords

💡Chesapeake area

The Chesapeake area refers to the region surrounding the Chesapeake Bay, which is significant in the context of early English colonies in America. The video discusses how this area was the site of a labor system that evolved over time, initially not heavily reliant on slavery despite the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619.

💡Indentured servants

Indentured servants were individuals who agreed to work for a certain period, typically three to seven years, in exchange for their passage across the Atlantic to the colonies. They were predominantly from England and formed the majority of laborers in Virginia, as mentioned in the script, highlighting the economic arrangement that was prevalent before the rise of slavery.

💡Headright system

The headright system was a policy that granted planters additional land based on the number of indentured servants they brought to Virginia. This system incentivized the importation of labor and contributed to the rapid expansion of landholdings by planters, as illustrated by the script where it mentions that for every person brought over, they got another 50 acres of land.

💡Tobacco cultivation

Tobacco cultivation is depicted as a labor-intensive and soil-depleting crop that was a driving force behind the economic activities in Virginia. The script explains how the need for new soil due to tobacco farming led to the constant expansion of settlements and conflicts with Native Americans.

💡House of Burgesses

The House of Burgesses was the first legislative assembly in the Virginia Colony, established in 1619 by the Virginia Company. It represented a form of semi-democratic governance where land-owning men, particularly tobacco planters, held significant political power. The script discusses how this body was influential in shaping the political landscape and responses to social issues like land distribution and conflicts with Native Americans.

💡Nathaniel Bacon's rebellion

Nathaniel Bacon's rebellion, which occurred in 1676, was a significant event that the video identifies as a turning point in American slavery. The rebellion, led by Nathaniel Bacon, was a response to the government's reluctance to engage in further conflicts with Native Americans and highlighted the tensions between landless white men and the ruling planter class.

💡Land scarcity

Land scarcity emerged as a critical issue in the Chesapeake area due to the headright system and the westward expansion of white settlers. The script describes how this scarcity led to increased competition for land and contributed to social unrest, as former indentured servants found it difficult to acquire land and establish themselves.

💡Racism

Racism is a theme that underlies the transition from indentured servitude to African slavery in Virginia. The video suggests that as the labor dynamics shifted, so did the social and racial hierarchies, leading to the entrenchment of racial distinctions and the subjugation of African people.

💡Labor-intensive crop

The term 'labor-intensive crop' is used in the script to describe tobacco, which requires significant manual labor for cultivation. This characteristic of tobacco farming contributed to the demand for a large workforce, eventually leading to the increased reliance on enslaved labor.

💡Enslaved Africans

Enslaved Africans refers to the people who were brought to Virginia against their will and forced into labor. The script notes the arrival of the first ship with enslaved Africans in 1619 and discusses how their numbers grew over time, eventually becoming the dominant form of labor by the late 1600s.

💡Planters

Planters were wealthy landowners who cultivated cash crops like tobacco in the Virginia Colony. The script describes how they benefited from the indentured servitude system and later shifted to using enslaved labor, reflecting their economic and political influence in the colony.

Highlights

In the Chesapeake area, slavery was not the dominant labor form until the late 1600s, despite the arrival of enslaved Africans in 1619.

The majority of laborers in Virginia were white indentured servants who worked for planters in exchange for their passage to America.

Indentured servants agreed to work for a planter for three to seven years, as shown in historical indenture documents.

Planters received 50 additional acres of land for each servant they brought over from England, incentivizing the expansion of landholdings.

The high mortality rate among indentured servants meant planters often did not have to fulfill promises of land and tools.

The shift to African slavery as the dominant labor form in Virginia began around 1700, with 15% of the population being enslaved Africans.

Nathaniel Bacon's rebellion in 1676 is a turning point in American slavery, reflecting tensions over land and treatment of Native Americans.

The House of Burgesses, established in 1619, was the first semi-democratic government in the new world, with power concentrated among tobacco planters.

Tobacco cultivation is labor-intensive and depletes soil, leading to a constant need for new land and conflict with Native Americans.

Indentured servants and black slaves had similar political rights, or lack thereof, with white servants sometimes feeling treated worse.

As indentured servants began to survive and complete their terms, land scarcity and lack of opportunities for them increased tensions.

Governor Berkeley's refusal to engage in further wars with Native Americans led to discontent among white servants and freemen.

Nathaniel Bacon led a biracial militia against Native Americans and eventually rebelled against the Virginia government, setting Jamestown on fire.

Bacon's Rebellion highlighted the potential for unrest among landless free whites and the need for a more controlled labor source, leading to the rise of African slavery.

The rebellion and the subsequent fear among planters and the House of Burgesses contributed to the shift towards a labor system that would never seek freedom.

Transcripts

- [Instructor] So in the last video we were talking about

the system of labor in the Chesapeake area,

surrounding the Chesapeake Bay,

in the early English colonies in America.

And one thing that seemed a little bit strange there

was that even though the first ship with enslaved Africans

arrived in Virginia in 1619,

slavery wasn't actually the dominant form of labor

in Virginia until much later, in the late 1600s.

In fact, the vast majority of laborers in Virginia

were in fact white indentured servants.

And these indentured servants would come from England,

and the planter that they proposed to work for

would pay their passage across the Atlantic.

And in exchange the servant would

agree to work for that planter

for a period of three to seven years.

And this is an example of what

one of these indentures might have looked like.

It's in old-timey writing, so it's a little hard to see,

but here you can see that there's three years

is the amount of time that this person promises.

This is from Pennsylvania.

Kinda gives you a good sense of how someone would say,

"Alright I'm gonna work for this person for this long,

"in exchange for my passage,

"and it's a contract."

And this was a pretty good deal for planters

because for every person that they

brought over from England,

they got another 50 acres of land,

meaning that if you had the money to bring over

quite a few servants,

you could expand your landholdings very fast.

And the other good thing about this,

at least in terms of the planters

was that these indentured servants

had a pretty high rate of death.

It was not healthy to live in this swampy area of Virginia.

So quite frequently, planters didn't actually have to

make good on their promise

to set these indentured servants up

with some land of their own, some tools to work it,

because they didn't survive through their indenture.

So if this system of indentured servitude,

and the headright system that gave planters more land

for bringing over more servants,

was working out so well for them,

why did African slavery become

the dominant form of labor

in Virginia, starting about 1700?

Now when we think about tobacco cultivation,

and later, cotton cultivation,

in the American south before the Civil War,

what we think of is enslaved African laborers.

And indeed, by the year 1700,

about 15% of the population living in Virginia

was enslaved Africans,

going from just a handful at the beginning of the century.

So what caused this incredible transition

in not only labor, but also racism,

to happen in early America?

Well there's one major event that historians

tend to point to as a turning point in American slavery.

And that is the rebellion led by Nathaniel Bacon in 1676.

So let's talk a little bit more about that.

So to understand Bacon's rebellion,

we have to backtrack a little bit,

and talk about the development of political power

and tobacco in Virginia.

So in 1619, the Virginia Company established

the first government in Virginia.

It was called the House of Burgesses.

And this is really important because it is, in effect,

the first at least semi-democratic form of government

in the new world.

In a way, it's kind of like a parliament

that was set up for Virginia

so that they could debate local issues.

And it's going to be the House of Burgesses

and its later House of Delegates

that ends up leading the charge for the American Revolution

more than a century later than this.

But as we think about the way that political power

was distributed in Virginia,

you can guess who might have a lot of say

in the House of Burgesses,

and these are the tobacco planters.

So the government of Virginia,

although it is a democracy of these land-owning men,

is still got most of the power at the very top.

'Cause as we talked about in the last video,

the power system in Virginia looked like

a handful of planters at the top,

a very small number of

free white farmers

who had their own land, but nothing like the gigantic

tracts of tobacco plantations that the planters had,

then a whole lot of white indentured servants,

who have very little political power,

since they are at basically the mercy of the planters.

And then, just a tiny handful of black slaves.

And in this time period, white indentured servants

and black slaves, black free people, also a tiny number,

didn't have that much difference

when it came to political rights.

In fact, white indentured servants frequently complained

that they felt that slaves were treated better than them.

Which may have been the case, because they were worth more.

Remember they were worth hundreds of pounds,

whereas white indentured servants

cost just a couple of pounds to come over, frequently died,

so they were less of an investment than slaves.

The other important factor here

is just what it takes to grow tobacco.

Tobacco is a labor-intensive crop, we know,

but it's also kind of a crop that is extremely hard

on the soil.

It depletes the soil fast.

Which means that there is a constant need for new soil.

And when you're coming from the coast,

here's our Atlantic Ocean over here,

and this is Virginia,

and our Jamestown colony along the River James,

more and more planters, as they come over,

remember we have this headright system,

we have a system that says that if indentured servants

finish out the terms of their indenture,

they get land of their own,

means there is constant pressure to add more and more land

so you can farm more and more tobacco.

And you start going farther and farther into the interior.

So what does this mean?

It means that land becomes relatively scarce pretty fast.

And it also means that as white settlers

continue to move west toward the Appalachian mountains,

which are over here,

I hope you enjoy this beautiful map,

it's certainly a work of art,

they are running up against more and more anger and conflict

with Native Americans who are living

in between the coast and the Appalachian mountains.

And now it's definitely in the interest of

the House of Burgesses, the government here at Jamestown,

to make sure that there is as little conflict

with Native Americans as possible.

Remember we had these wars of extinction with the Powhatans.

That wasn't a fun time for anyone.

And so the House of Burgesses,

which is now somewhat responsible to the King of England,

since he acquired it from the Virginia Company

as a royal colony in 1624,

they have a relatively friendly attitude

toward the Native Americans.

They're hoping to avoid conflict.

And so their governor,

Governor William Berkeley,

spelled Berkeley but pronounced Barkley, I don't know why.

He refuses to take on another war of extinction

against the Native Americans,

which makes a lot of white servants and white freeman

pretty angry.

It's the late 1600s now,

and more and more of these indentured servants

are living to finish out their terms of indenture.

They have now built up some immunity to these diseases

that have killed so many other people in Virginia.

And they're finding it really hard to make a living

because the planters don't want to give

quite so many rights, quite so many perks,

to people who live out their indentures.

Remember this was a good deal for planters

when these white servants never actually survived

to make good on the promises of land.

And now that they are, planters don't want to extend them

things like a promise of land,

because land is already scarce.

So when servants are finishing up their indentures,

they're finding it difficult to make a living.

They often have to continue to work

for the planter they had been indentured to

for very small wages,

they don't have land of their own,

they can't get started.

And this is a world composed almost entirely of men,

so they can't even find women to marry.

And I think if there's anything we've learned

from U.S. history,

it's that you never want

a whole lot of unemployed, angry, young men hanging about,

because young men with a lot of time on their hands

get up to trouble.

And one young man in particular

was this fellow here, Nathaniel Bacon,

who was incensed at Governor Berkeley's refusal

to take a harsher stance against

the Native Americans on the west,

where all of these white farmers

wished that they could settle.

And so he gets up a militia,

full of young white men,

and also African American men,

to actually go after the Native Americans.

So this is a biracial raid force for Native Americans,

and they raid Native American villages,

and kill many Native Americans living in the area,

and Governor Berkeley wants them to stop.

And instead of stopping, they marched to Jamestown,

the capital of Virginia, and set it on fire.

So this is a group of

landless white men,

landless African American men,

who have rebelled against

the government of Virginia.

These are my flames, the House of Burgesses.

They run Berkeley out of town.

And it's hard to know where this would have ended,

because Nathaniel Bacon himself died.

And he died of illness,

like many other Virginians in this time period,

so the rebellion kind of petered out without his leadership.

But clearly this was a really scary moment

for the House of Burgesses,

and for the leaders and planters in Virginia.

And they started to think,

alright well maybe this indentured servitude thing

isn't working out so well,

because once these indentures are up,

we've got this whole set of landless free whites

who technically have the rights of Englishmen,

but we have little work for them,

we have little land for them,

and it's going to end up with constant rebellion.

So maybe we should think about a different source of labor.

One that will never get its freedom.

And it just so happened that there were

many such laborers for sale

on the coast of west Africa.

And we'll talk more about that in the next video.