Why were Native Americans viewed as a threat to Nathaniel Bacon in the 17th century during Bacon's Rebellion?

Hypothesis: Why were Native Americans viewed as a threat to Nathaniel Bacon in the 17th century during Bacon's Rebellion?

ISSUES

I. The Indians were more intelligent than the Virginians thought they were.

---A. The Indians had an advantage in the war against the Virginian colonists because they knew their way around the woods.

------1. As stated in Document #6, "For the Indians quickly found out where about these Mouse traps were sett, and for what purpose, and so resalved to keepe out of danger; which they might easily enough do, with out any detriment to there designes."

------2. Bacon saw most Indians to be hostile and dangerous.

---B. The Indians inhabited land that Bacon wanted possession of.

------1.Instead of negotiation with the Indians, Bacon lead a raid of poor farmers to fight and kill them off.

------2. Indians soon retaliated out of anger.

------3. A quote from Dcument #4 states, "... a Party of those abused Sasquahanocks in Revenge of the Maryland businesse came suddainly down upon the weak Plantations at the head of Rappahanock and Potomaque and killed at one time 36 persons and then immediately (as thier Custome is) ran off into the woods."

THEY SAY DISCUSSION

II. Bacon was fairly wealthy and owned land, but he still insisted on taking over Native American territory and claiming the land for his own.

---A. The poor colonists who aided in the rebellion saw Nathaniel Bacon as a leader headed toward wealth in a state of poverty. Bacon and the angry colonists saw nothing wrong with killing off Indians to get out of that state of poverty and to live free and rich lives.

-------1."Another said that the Indian problem was the original cause of Bacon's Rebellion, but that poor people had joined because they wanted to seize and share the wealth of the rich" (Zinn and Stefoff, 39).

--------2."There has been a tendency in American history to see relations between Indians and American colonists purely in terms of conflict and separation" (Puglisi, 76).

THESIS/I SAY

III. I believe that the Indians were mere innocent people at the beginning of the rebellion. They had done nothing wrong other than trying to defend their territory.

------1. English started trusting the Indians less and less, even if they were on good terms.

----------a. "...suspicions ran high against all Indians, regardless of their status with the colonists" (Puglisi, 78).

--------------i. This quote could not depict any better the way things were between English and Native Americans.

------2. The Indians only retaliated because they felt threatened toward the English, who intruded on land that did not belong to them.

----------a. "...and as more and more homes went up in flames, some colonists sought to vent their frustrations on the Praying Indians of Deer Island" (Puglisi, 81).

--------------i. The colonists had no proof that the Indians had done this, but if the colonists hadn't done anything to upset the Indians, why would they suspect them in the first place? The Indians were obviously threatened and upset and acted out of anger.