Draft one

In 1676, Bacon’s Rebellion tore Virginia asunder. There were two main factions in this civil disorder. One faction was those who wished to remain loyal to the governor, William Berkeley. These men were almost exclusively Grandees, or rich plantation owners whose name is used to denote their lavish, grand lifestyle. The other faction was the rebels, almost exclusively poor farmers and recently released indentured servants struggling to make a living on the harsh frontier. When Indians were attacking the colonists on the frontier, Berkeley refused to allow the colonists to deal with the Indians. When people were struggling to harvest a living from the land, Berkeley heaped upon them taxes with no apparent cause for the public good. When Berkeley was elected Governor, he was meant to protect, nourish, and help the people; instead he abused them and used the power for his and his friends’ betterment. The misuse of power by Governor Berkley was the main cause for Nathaniel Bacon and his followers to rebel.
The original and most apparent cause for the revolution was the violence between the Indians and the colonists. According to a report by the Royal Commissioners (Document 2), the violence between the Indians and the Colonists started by with a misunderstanding over proper payment and escalated from there into full scale raids. During this time, the Susquehannahs murdered “no less than 60 innocent people” over a short period of time or so one source (Document 5) says. Bacon and his followers