Buy an essay: Manifesto

This was the epoch of the earliest settlements in the New World. Britain and France endeavored to be the first nation to have more colonies in America than the other. On this historical context takes place the so called Bacon’s Rebellion. Actually, there was no rebellion, just people, who were trying to defend their rights, family and land. The declaration of the “rebellion” was written by Nathaniel Bacon of Virginia, a wealthy planter, who was strongly opposed to Indians and trade with them. Bacon lived in the South, which has prospered on tobacco and cotton growth and trade. The reason that farmers took his side was that he championed for lowering taxes and depriving lands from Indians. Moreover, frequent Indian raids made it impossible to raise good harvest. They killed men and cattle, pillaged the distant farms.
But new settlers required new lands, even at the cost of taking them from Indians. The land was seen as the focal point of freedom and prosperity, for which most of the British colonists came to the New World. From Indian point of view all land in America was their land from time immemorial, and that were whites, who were looked upon as intruders. The conflict between the two cultures grew hot and dramatic. For this was just a beginning of the epic struggle.
The Bacon’s “manifesto” was addressed to Virginia commoners: small farmers, frontiersmen, merchants and to all “Majesty’s loyal subjects” in general. It was the end of 17 century, year 1676, when Virginia governor William Berkeley was running his regime. He favored Indians for the sake of monopoly of fur trade and refused demands of settlers to give up the land from the native murderous savages.
The people, who demanded land, were mostly of middle class, who made the backbone of every society. As a royal colony, Virginia had a governor appointed by the king of England. That is why it was natural that he persuaded solely his own interests rather than that of the settlers. His gain for personal profit made a conflict even more serious. Bacon accused Berkeley in raising taxes for personal gain (“For having upon specious pretences of public works, raised unjust taxes…” [Bacon]), assuming the monopoly of the beaver trade (“For having wronged his Majesty’s prerogative and interest by as¬suming the monopoly of the beaver trade” [Bacon]), for favoring and protecting Indians and retrieving colonial troops from posts on the frontier (“For having protected, favoured and emboldened the Indians against his Majesty’s most loyal subjects…” [Bacon]). On this ground he demanded governor to be dismissed and declared the traitor of the English Crown (“And we do further demand, that the said Sir William Berkeley … be forthwith delivered up … within four days after the notice hereof…” [Bacon]).
For such public accusation Bacon and his followers were declared rebels, while he was just trying to defend himself and his neighbors from bureaucracy and bribery of the government and murders and robbery of the Indian tribes.
As that manifesto was issued a hundred years earlier than the adoption of The Declaration of Independence, it can be regarded as a considerable effort in the long struggle for freedom and human rights in American history.

Work Cited
Bacon N. Manifesto and The Declaration of the People. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. I, 1893. Print