Long Term Causes of the Bacon Rebellion
Since Virginia's establishment as a colony, the newly freed men suffered exploitation from the upper echelons of society. Indentured servants and later settlers came to the new world seeking financial independence and a better life. After years of indentured servitude the newly-freed men would find themselves stuck in the very situation they sought to free themselves from. This lack of financial independence and social mobility created a general feeling of discontent culminating in Bacon's Rebellion.
The search for land is primarily what led conflict of the upper and lower classes and ultimately the rebellion. As life expectancy rose and people came pouring into Virginia the availability of good land dropped dramatically. The aristocracy seeing an opportunity to make a profit bought up most of best land creating "artificial scarcity". Only a few lucky freed men could find small plots of land. Without land of there own, colonists could not......
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