For this podcast, we will be discussing

Nathaniel Bacons Declaration of the People, a

document issued in response to Governor Berkeley in

the midst of Bacon's rebellion. It is important to

understand the purpose of this document. Nathaniel

Bacon's Declaration of the People was a list of

complaints issued by Nathaniel Bacon on July 30th,

1676, in which he accused Virginia's colonial

governor, Sir William Berkeley, his cousin, of

being corrupt, playing favorites and protecting

the Indians for his own self-interest. Now,

what Bacon was trying to get across here is that,

Here are our list of reasons for rebelling

against you. He specifically mentions imposing

unfair taxation, having neglected to promote trade,

putting unqualified people in positions of

government, and having failed to protect the

colony from Indian attacks. The message that Bacon

gives in his declaration is explicit because he

directly expressed his reasons for rebelling

against Berkeley in the colonial government. For

example, the first reason Bacon gives for rebelling is

that, he says, for having a conspicuous pretends

of public works raised great, unjust taxes upon

the commodity for the advancement of

private favorites. Basically, what Bacon is

saying here is that Berkeley raised taxes for the

colonies for his own self benefits at the expense

of the people in the colony. Now, to conclude,

this uprising was one of the earliest major

popular rebellions against British colonial rule

in the Americas.