Tales from a Revolution: Bacon's Rebellion and the Transformation of Early America

by James D. Rice

In the spring of 1676, Nathaniel Bacon, a hotheaded young newcomer to Virginia, led a revolt against the colony's Indian policies. Bacon's Rebellion turned into a civil war within Virginia--and a war of extermination against the colony's Indian allies--that lasted into the following winter, sending shock waves throughout the British colonies and into England itself.
James Rice offers a colorfully detailed account of the rebellion, revealing how Piscataways, English planters, slave traders, Susquehannocks, colonial officials, plunderers and intriguers were all pulled into an escalating conflict whose outcome, month by month, remained uncertain. In Rice's rich narrative, the lead characters come to life: the powerful, charismatic Governor Berkeley, the sorrowful Susquehannock warrior Monges, the wiley Indian trader and tobacco planter William Byrd, the regal Pamunkey chieftain Cockacoeske, and the rebel leader himself, Nathaniel Bacon. The dark, slender Bacon, born into a prominent family, soon earned a reputation in America as imperious, ambitious, and arrogant. But the colonial leaders did not foresee how rash and headstrong Nathaniel Bacon could be, nor how adept he would prove to be at both inciting colonists and alienating Indians. As the tense drama unfolds, it becomes apparent that the struggle between Governor Berkeley and the impetuous Bacon is nothing less than a battle over the soul of America. Bacon died in the midst of the uprising and Governor Berkeley shortly afterwards, but the profoundly important issues at the heart of the rebellion took another generation to resolve.
The late seventeenth century was a pivotal moment in American history, full of upheavals and far-flung conspiracies. Tales From a Revolution brilliantly captures the swirling rumors and central events of Bacon's Rebellion and its aftermath, weaving them into a dramatic tale that is part of the founding story of America.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Race, American Revolution

280 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2012

About the author

A scholar specializing in early American history with an emphasis on Native America, James Rice earned his Ph.D. in early American history from the University of Maryland. He has been a scholar in residence at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, and a Carson Fellow at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich.

Reviews

[Rhuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't judge books by their size or covers - it's the content that matters. Professor Rice has written an outstanding summary reconstructing the civil war of colonial Virginia. He's spot-on in his Afterward re: the necessity of narrative in presenting history, hence the "tales." Academics too often forget, in their forensic analyses of objective social forces, that these matter only because of their impact on the real lives of real persons. Yet Rice doesn't neglect them, taking the story beyond the action of its protagonists, as underlying issues lingered beyond personal demise.

Highly valuable, too, is his discussion of the differing historical interpretations of Bacon's insurgency: the original thesis of treason, turned around as "premature patriotism," reversed again by cold war hostility to rebellion, then civil rights concerns of white supremacy over Indian tribes and black slaves. This only reveals the complexity of both parties and issues: Berkeley the autocratic yet pragmatic liberal by modern eyes; Bacon the populist bigot whose revolt ushered a temporary counter-revolution, that only made the bigger explosion all that more destructive to the Empire. Accused by Berkeley of being a "new Cromwell" and "Leveler," Bacon had to wrap his revolt around King and Crown - like modern revolutionaries starting from the mainstream until they gain momentum to overthrow the Old Order.

Parallel to this were the period's grand conspiracy theories, and here Rice demonstrates that cold war between rival powers landed on American shores from the first. France and England projected their ideologies and geopolitics on the New World, just as later rivals would intrigue in Africa or Asia. This was not one-sided by any means: native conflicts sucked in outside powers as surely as the American frontier was a theater of proxy war. Here speculation raises its head - what would a victorious Virginia rebellion look like in the 17th century? Would Bacon have remained loyal to the King; or become the dictator Berkeley feared and allied himself with a hostile power, as in later revolutions?

Bacon's Revolt was ultimately defeated by a deft combination of freedom and slavery: the importation of "black slaves for life," after the Glorious Revolution established the "rights of Englishmen" for white Christians of all classes. This masterstroke routed also the prospect of democracy in Virginia; the poor white man who votes with the master class to keep his own head above water originated here. The tradition endures.

[Aidan Busch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this. A good mix between narrative and academic detail- it’s difficult at times to keep track of names, as some “characters” appear to be significant but disappear form the story a few pages later. Thus is history though, I suppose.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, though, this gave me a much more complicated view of Bacon’s rebellion, which is part of the APUSH curriculum. I’ll be much, much more careful with how I teach it going forward, especially with regard to race. This book helps to show that it wasn’t as clean a line as is often presented between the rebellion and codification of race laws in English colonial society in the late 17th century. They’re certainly related…. But it means I will no longer be showing a (artistically wonderful but historically atrocious) video making the claim that Bacon’s rebellion was the straight line cause of racial stratification and class dissection in colonial America. Yikes.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read for history class

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales from a Revolution is a straightforward and concise rendering of the causes of Bacon’s Rebellion, and the justifications Nathaniel Bacon and his rebels offered for taking up arms against Virginia’s governor William Berkeley in 1676.

In crisp, clear language, Rice provides informative insights into late-17th century colonial Virginia and Maryland, societies characterized by tensions between white settlers and Native Americans, and Catholics and Protestants, and economies that were increasingly underpinned by the use of enslaved African labor.

By taking his history beyond the failure of Bacon’s Rebellion, Rice demonstrates how the issues that gave rise to it had not been resolved to the satisfaction of Maryland’s and Virginia’s white Protestants. Added to ongoing concerns about tobacco production and land grants, rumors and conspiracy theories about Catholics allying with Native Americans to oust Protestants from the colonies abounded against the backdrop of momentous events in England.

It is in the exploration of the principal reason for Bacon’s uprising against Berkeley - Bacon’s desire for the wholesale destruction of Indian nations and Berkeley’s refusal to allow him to pursue this end - that this book really shines.

[Timothy Finucane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short narrative brings to light some of the aspects of the often overlooked Bacon's Rebellion during the early years of Virginia's formation. It tries to highlight what the author thinks are some of the more important events and players in the story, while showing the reason's for the rebellion and why it is an important part of America's early history, despite it being over shadowed by the Revolutionary War. It's a tale filled with the fears and desperation's of the people of the colony, of supernatural superstitions and papal conspiracies, but above all it is a tale about what it took to build the colonies of what would later become the United States of America.

The book is short and allows for a fairly quick read. The bibliography at the end is useful for more reading material and not completely overwhelming. The notes don't say a lot, but they are good for pointing out where the information comes from. It's a nice little add to the library of any early America history buff.

[Roy Draa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short read, but a must read for the historian or observer of modern politics. The author spins together abundant primary sources to consider the economic, political, social, and religious forces behind (and resulting from) Bacon’s Rebellion. Thought-provoking insights into how events in Maryland, Virginia, New York and the Iroquois nation were shaped by political and social pressures in Europe and within Colonial and Native American Society. Afterward relates these events to emergence of the social-contract of White Supremacy in early America...an “Aha” moment. It’s as if you can see the avalanche coming but can’t get out of the way.

[Ross Tierney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Drawing on both primary and secondary sources, this narrative told a pretty straightforward, chronological history of late 17th c. colonial Virginia. For me what was missing was the substance behind the stories. The author made an intentional choice to place his thesis in the afterward, but I think the narrative suffered from the lack of weight of his convictions. His thesis suggested a stepping toward white supremacy as the ruling force, but it felt like a lack of perspectives from anyone other than elite British white males.

[Jason S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting narrative about Bacons Rebellion which argues that this was really a pro monarchy movement for a more radical eradication of the Natives and against a rising “papist” and French influence in North America.

[Molly Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic revisionist history, but would have liked to see more primary sources

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding read!

[Stephen Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of us have heard of Bacon's Rebellion; few of us remember what it was about. A great read.

[Teresa Thompson Arcangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of dry but very informative.

[Gabriel Monton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that outlines the revolts and movements in Virginia, Maryland, and England. Narrative history

[Anthony]

In this book, you get more of an understanding of the times before the revolutionaty war, A time when Indians were frowned upon by most. I learned quite a bit about the Jamestown settlement. I would recommend this book to anyone that is curious about colonial times, and what was going on in and around Jamestown.

[Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only a history geek like me would read this. This about a little know event to most Americans but was touted as a precursor to our Revolution. Both sides did terrible things and the real losers would be the Indians. This is a short quick read.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good narrative history of the rebellion. As with most narrative history, it was very light on analysis. If you're a fan of the genre and are interested in the period, you'll probably enjoy it.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent account of Bacon's Rebellion.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book, though I imagine it's not 'content for everyone'. My mom gave me a signed copy for Christmas and I am very happy to have read it.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

In general, I liked it, though the information could be dense and hard to follow at times.

[Mills College Library]

975.502 R4964 2013

[Caeser Pink · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Bacon's Rebellion told in a colorful narrative style.