A Letter From Elizabeth Bacon

William Sherwood

"A Narrative of Bacon's Rebellion"

Reprinted in Major Problems in American Colonial History

Published in 1993

"...The Indians taking advantage of these civil commotions, have committed many horrid murders..."

During the seventeenth century trouble began brewing along the frontiers of most colonies, as European settlers expanded onto Native American land. In New England tensions between settlers and Native Americans resulted in the Pequot War (1637). Similar conflicts had been taking place in Virginia since the 1640s, but the situation was complicated by serious problems within the colony. These problems could be traced back to the founding of Jamestown (1607), the first settlement and capital of Virginia (see "The Founding of Jamestown").

The original leaders of Jamestown were English gentlemen (members of the nobility) of...