Slavery in the United States free essay sample

Because colonial society in America was only just beginning, in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s, tension had mounted amongst settlers, natives, and slaves. Bacon’s Rebellion was an uprising in 1676 in the Virginia Colony, led by Nathaniel Bacon. The Pueblo Revolt was an uprising of the Pueblo Indians against Spanish settlers in 1680 in New Mexico. The Stono Rebellion was a slave uprising in 1739 in the colony of South Carolina, and was the largest slave uprising prior to the American Revolution. Bacon’s Rebellion, the Pueblo Revolt, and the Stono Rebellion reflected socio-economic tensions, relations with the Native Americans, and racial tension, respectively, in colonial society, shaping colonial America in the way we know it today. I. Socio-economic tensions arose amongst the settlers and Native Americans in colonial society. A. Virginia Governor, William Berkeley, refused to retaliate for Indian attacks on frontier settlements due to the fact that he would have to then tax the wealthy, of which he was friends with. We will write a custom essay sample on Slavery in the United States or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This angered the former indentured servants, poor whites, and poor blacks that felt belittled by the disregard for their own safety in lieu of taxation on plantation owners and officials. B. Group of people, led by Nathaniel Bacon, took matters into their own hands. They attacked Native Americans, chased Berkeley from Virginia, and then burned Jamestown. This is considered a play on power by Bacon, who was angered by Berkeley favoring his own court over everyone else. The conflict reflected socio-economic tensions within colonies, between the wealthy and the poor. The alliance between former indentured servants and Africans disturbed the ruling class, who responded by hardening the racial caste of slavery. D. Bacon’s Rebellion reflected the tension between the wealthy and the poor in colonial society. It is significant because it impacted how people viewed the power structure. People were now mindful that anyone had the right to overthrow the power system. Socio-economic tensions arose because of bad relations with the Native Americans, and even drove these relations in the wrong direction. II. Relations with the Native Americans dwindled due to tension between them and the settlers’ attempts to claim the land they live on. F. The Pueblo Revolt occurred due to Spanish settlers trying to claim land in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico, present day New Mexico. This angered most of the Pueblo Indians already living there, who rose up against the settlers. The Pueblo killed around 400 Spanish and drove the remaining 2000 settlers out of the area. However, the Spanish would return twelve years later and take the land with little opposition. H. The conflict reflected the bad relations that existed amongst the Spanish settlers and the natives. This arose mainly because of the Spanish attempting to destroy the Indians’ religion, banning traditional dances and idols. I. The Pueblo Revolt reflected tensions between Native Americans and settlers in colonial society. It is significant because it showed the capabilities that Indian tribes possessed to fight back against colonial advances. J. Settlers not only had bad relations outside of their settlements, but also faced racial tension with the slaves in their settlements. III. Racial tensions arose amongst the settlers and the slaves that were located in their settlements. K. The Stono Rebellion was a slave rebellion that occurred in the colony of South Carolina. It was the largest slave uprising at its time. It is also the earliest known organized rebellion in America. L. The uprising was led by native Africans who were Catholic and from the Kingdom of Kongo. They recruited nearly 60 other slaves and killed over 20 whites before being stopped by the South Carolina militia. M. In response to the rebellion, the South Carolina legislature passed the  Negro Act of 1740,  restricting slave assembly, education, and movement. It also put in place a ten year prohibition on importing African slaves to South Carolina. The Stono Rebellion reflected racial tensions between slaves and their holders. It is significant because it slightly changed the way that slaves were treated in America, and also inspired many more slave uprisings of its kind in the colonies. Events such as: Bacon’s Rebellion, the Pueblo Revolt, and the Stono Rebellion reflected tensions that arose in colonial America. The socio-economic tensions, relations with the Native Americans, and racial tensions among settlers, natives, and slaves, shaped colonial America to become how we know it today.