Bacon's Rebellion: Rough Draft #1

Bacon’s Rebellion

Thesis: When the colonists needed tobacco during Bacon's rebellion they looked to the Virginians to meet their needs, which in turn made more money for them but didn't spare much land for tobacco growth.

Tobacco production and trade by the Virginians increased during Bacon’s rebellion. The cause for increased production and trade was the popularity of tobacco during the rebellion. Virginians had to work long days in temperatures that were at times miserable to keep up with the tobacco fields. They had hoes to help them with the work of cutting the tobacco, most of the time that was all they got for tools. During this time colonists and Europeans increased the amount of tobacco they smoked, making more work for the Virginians. “A demanding crop, tobacco required close attention and a great deal of hand labor year-round.” (P. 77 Roark). The increase in production was a benefit for Virginians because they had to expand and make more tobacco, which meant a larger profit.

The Virginians needed to make new land to plant more tobacco to meet the demands of the colonists and Europeans. They had to clear land that wasn’t being used or that wasn’t very useful, to start new tobacco fields. “Girdling brought sun-light to clearings but left fields studded with tree stumps, making the use of plows impractical.” (P. 77 Roark). Clearing the land for new tobacco fields included cutting down trees and leaving the stumps, everything else had to go.

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