1. Bacon’s Rebellion (1676)
Bacon’s Rebellion erupted in colonial Virginia when Nathaniel Bacon led frontier settlers against Governor William Berkeley’s administration. Fueled by frustration over government corruption and a lack of protection from Native American raids, the uprising exposed sharp class tensions between wealthy planters and poor colonists. The rebellion’s aftermath saw the colonial elite tighten control and shift towards race-based slavery to prevent future alliances between Black and white laborers.
