Bacon’s Rebellion Discussion Questions
A New Beginning
1. Nathaniel Bacon was sent to Virginia in hopes he might improve. Do you think a person can change? Why or why not?
2. What do you think Elizabeth Bacon means when she says young Nathaniel Bacon thought he was above the company he found in the colony?
3. If you were one of the large planters in Virginia and not a member of the Council, how would you feel about Nathaniel Bacon’s appointment to the Council?
4. Do you think that the fact that Nathaniel Bacon was related to Berkeley’s wife had anything to do with his appointment?
1646 Treaty with the Powhatans
1. The Powhatans live in isolated areas separate from the English. Should they be paying tribute to the Governor for protection?
2. Should the Susquenahannock chiefs have been allowed to leave the meeting alive?
Indian Troubles Increase
1. Should the Governor have allowed Chicheley to continue to go after the Susquehannocks, even though they wanted to make peace?
2. Do you think the Governor’s overall actions show more concern for the welfare of the Indians than for the English settlers, as Mrs. Grindon and Mrs. Haviland claimed?
3. Should Nathaniel Bacon have been given his commission to attack the Pamunky Indians? Why or Why not?
New Elections
1. Were Bacon’s actions, in disobeying the Governor’s orders, an act of treason? Should Nathaniel Bacon have attacked both friendly and hostile Indians?
2. Bacon thought the government was not protecting the English people against the inidian attacks. Do you think he had the right to disobey the Governor?
Reclaiming Position on the Council
1. Why do you think Governor Berkeley called for free elections to the House of Burgesses when he had not done so in fifteen years?
2. If Bacon was a legally elected House of Burgesses member from his county, should he have been arrested when he came to town?
Confrontation Over the Commission
1. Do you agree with the way that Bacon and his followers got the commission to fight the Indians?
2. Was Governor Berkeley justified in not wanting to grant the commission?
Difficult Times
1. If you were a small planter, would you support the governor’s plan to build forts, raising your taxes, or would you have supported Bacon who wanted to hunt down the Indians with a mobile army of local militia?
2. Which “Indian Policy“ would be more effective: Berkeley’s plan to use friendly Indians as allies or Bacon’s policy of attacking all Indians as enemies?
The Aftermath
1. Based on the testimony of Elizabeth Bacon, which side do you support in this disagreement and conflict: Nathaniel Bacon the younger or Governor Sir William Berkeley? Why?
2. Do you think Elizabeth Bacon presented a true account of what happened? Why or why not? Did she seem to favor one side or the other?
3. Can you only rely on one historical account or document to get a clear understanding of past events? Why or why not?