How Did Bacon's Rebellion Contributed To The American Revolution

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From 1607 to the year before the Declaration of Independence, democratic society had been developing in the colonies over time through specific events. From religion to politics to social class, people looking to change the their lifestyle has done so with their own ideals in mind. Both the Zenger case of 1734 and Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 are examples of people who found the government unjust taking matters into their own hands. While Bacon was more violent in his efforts compared to Zenger in his methods, both contributed to the development of a more democratic society in the colonies, and distancing from the monarchy of their matriarch. Nathaniel Bacon was the leader in a rebellion against what he deemed an unjust government. Him and a …show more content…

In this specific case, Berkeley was the monarch who ruled the colony, but the neglect of all the people caused an unsuccessful government. . Because of the many different types of people from different backgrounds in the colony, the neglect of one could lead to rebellion against the government. This led to democracy being one of the best ways to keep the diverse people of the colonies under control. Democracy, in theory, allows each person to have a say in government, increasing the overall satisfaction of the people and allowing the people as one body to rule themselves. Early in the history of the colonies, Bacon showed people that not only did he disagree with government, but without a more democratic government representative of all the people and the types of people in the colonies, his rebellion would not be the …show more content…

No longer could a corrupt government censor anyone who spoke out against them. The power to criticize the government was moved to the people with this court case, and the open discussion of the government was created. This leads to democracy in the idea that the people have rights, and a right to talk about one’s own government force the government to cater to the people, a core component of the idea of a democracy. Also, this case leads to the people, with the press, being somewhat involved in the decisions of government by being able to speak out about their opinions on the actions of the power. If the people were not able to speak their mind about their own government, the general population would not have any influence on their own government, therefore not resembling a democracy at all. Zenger’s trial began a movement that would create a vital right of future Americans and helped develop democracy in the

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