Berkeley's Indian Policy and Bacon's Rebellion Analytical Essay by Top Papers

The paper relates that William Berkeley, one-time governor of Virginia, was notorious for taking a conciliatory approach to natives during his tenure in office; eventually, this caused dissension with many small property owners who, under the leadership of Nathaniel Bacon, rose up against the natives and - for all intents and purposes - against Berkeley himself. The paper looks briefly at Berkeley's Indian policy and how it impacted Bacon's Rebellion. The paper shows that Berkeley does not appear to have been a bad governor vis-a-vis native-white relations, but he may not have had the steel in his spine necessary to control the situation appropriately.