University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XII

FROM BACON'S REBELLION TO THE FRENCH AND INDIAN
WAR

After Bacon's Rebellion. — The efforts of the people
under Bacon to secure better government ended in failure.
All the tyrannical legislation that had been enacted, including
the restriction of the suffrage, was put into full
operation again; and freedom in the colony depended
entirely on the royal will, except in so far as the inhabitants
enjoyed the rights of Englishmen, which the common
law accorded them. The rebellion was made a
pretext by the king for refusing the liberal charter he
had promised; and the one that was finally sent over
was unsatisfactory, and did not contain a single political
franchise.

The Tobacco Rebellion. — So dissatisfied were the people
that they would have revolted again had not the disastrous
effects of Bacon's Rebellion been fresh in their minds.
As it was, small disturbances did occur, notably one which
is known as the Tobacco Rebellion. This was partly the
result of a law passed by the House of Burgesses to encourage
the building of towns, which required ships to be
loaded at specified places on the rivers instead of at the
different plantations, the idea being that the observance of
this law would render the erection of warehouses necessary,
and that thus the foundations of cities would be laid. Many
planters refused to obey the law, and, as ships were not

allowed to touch at their wharves, they were prevented
from disposing of their tobacco. This, together with the
navigation laws, caused so great dissatisfaction that, in
1682, riotous proceedings took place; and in the counties
of Gloucester, New Kent, and Middlesex, the planters
destroyed a large part of the growing crop by cutting up
the plants. The disturbances were quelled by the militia;
and several of the ringleaders were hung. One, it is said,
agreed to build a bridge, and on this condition was pardoned.

Governors not Interested in the People. — The royal governors
who came and went during the period just after
the rebellion showed, as a rule, but little interest in the
people, and generally regarded their office as a means of
advancing their own interests. One of the most avaricious
was Lord Culpeper, who was appointed in 1675, but did
not come to the colony till 1680. He sought perquisites
of every kind, and endeavored to make the most money
in the shortest time possible. Some relief came in 1684,
when the Culpeper and Arlington grant was annulled and
Virginia again became a royal province.

Good Effects of the English Revolution of 1688. — The
English revolution, which drove James II. from the
throne, because he violated the fundamental laws of the
land, and endeavored to subvert the constitution, caused
government to be regarded as a trust to be used for
the benefit of the people, and not as an inheritance to be
abused as a sovereign might see fit. The triumph of these
ideas in England led, in a few years, to beneficial results in
Virginia. The governors became less arbitrary, approved
such legislation as was conducive to the good of the
colony, and, in general, showed more consideration for
the people. In 1690, when Governor Nicholson came to

the colony, the people were on the eve of rebelling again,
but he adopted a mild and conciliatory policy in accordance
with the new views of government, and the danger
of an insurrection gradually passed away.

The Coming of the Huguenots. — Toward the end of the
seventeenth century, the persecution of the Huguenots
on account of their religion began in France, and forty
thousand took refuge in England. A number of them

afterwards came to Virginia, where they found happy
homes. Their principal settlement was at Manakin town
on the upper James. These emigrants were brave, intelligent,
and industrious. From them descended many
distinguished families.

The Close of the Seventeenth Century. — As the century
drew to a close, the people became much interested in the
idea of having a college, where the young men could acquire
the higher education which they were forced to seek in

England. The matter was pushed with vigor, and resulted
in the founding of William and Mary College in 1693,
named in honor of the reigning sovereigns. It was located
at Middle Plantation, where five years later Governor
Nicholson also founded the city of Williamsburg, to which
he moved the seat of government. He designed that the
streets of the new city should, when laid out, form the
letters W and M as a compliment to William and Mary;
but this plan was never fully carried out. When the
century ended, Virginia had a population of seventy thousand,
and was rapidly advancing in prosperity and importance.

Alexander Spotswood. — In 1710, the illustrious Colonel
Alexander Spotswood, a gallant officer, who had served
under Marlborough, and had been wounded in the famous
battle of Blenheim, was appointed governor. He was in
the prime of manhood, courteous in manner, active and
enterprising in nature. He met with a most cordial welcome,
and he brought a formal confirmation of the writ of
habeas corpus,[10] a right cherished by the people. Governor
Spotswood had the welfare of the colony at heart, and
exerted himself to develop its resources. He established
the first iron furnaces ever located in America, and on account
of this he was called the "Tubal Cain" of Virginia.

Spotswood Crosses the Blue Ridge. — A few years after
he reached the colony, a love of adventure filled him
with the desire to penetrate the country beyond the Blue
Ridge, which had been supposed for a long time to present
a barrier forever impassable to men. In 1716, he
with a number of his companions, well mounted and attended
by "rangers, pioneers and indians," set out on a

journey of exploration. They succeeded in ascending the
range, and on its top drank the health of the king, after
which they went down into the beautiful valley, naming
the river running through it, which we now call the Shenandoah,
the Euphrates. Spotswood, to commemorate his
triumph, presented to his companions small golden horseshoes,
set with garnets and other jewels inscribed with the
motto, "Sic juvat transcendere montes."[11] From this incident
the order of the "Knights of the Golden Horseshoe"
originated. Spotswood ceased to be governor in 1722; but
he spent the remainder of his days in Virginia,[12] where his
memory is much honored and where many of his descendants
still live.

Richmond and Petersburg Founded. — In 1733, Colonel
William Byrd[13] laid the foundation of two new cities at
places "naturally intended for Marts." These he named

Richmond and Petersburg; and they soon grew into substantial
towns. The Virginia Gazette, the first newspaper
that appeared in the colony, was issued in Williamsburg in
1736; and its columns contained an advertisement inviting
everybody to come and live at Richmond.

Settlement of the Valley. — The people of Virginia made
their homes first near the seacoast, along the lowland rivers.
Up these they gradually extended their settlements till,
about a hundred years after the founding of Jamestown,
they had reached the mountains. These, Spotswood had
shown were not impassable; and so some years later a
wave of population from the lowlands began to cross the
mountains and to pour itself into the fertile Shenandoah
valley. Just before this happened, a tide of immigration
from Pennsylvania had come into the lower valley. This
consisted of Scotch-Irish and Germans, who had been
drawn to the country by rumors of its many advantages.
These early settlers of the valley were of excellent material
to make good citizens. The history of the Scotch-Irish
in America has never been fully written. When
this is done, it will appear that their immigration was next
in importance to the coming of the Cavaliers to Virginia
and the Puritan migration to New England, so great has
been its influence.

QUESTIONS

• 1. What was the condition of the colony after Bacon's Rebellion?

• 2. What was the Tobacco Rebellion?

• 3. How did the royal governors regard the people?

• 4. In what manner did Lord Culpeper treat the people?

• 5. Relief came in what way?

• 6. How was the English revolution of 1688 beneficial to Virginia?

• 7. What policy did the government adopt, and with what result?

• 8. Who were the Huguenots, and why did they come to Virginia?

• 9. When and where was William and Mary College founded?

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• 10. What city was founded at the same place?

• 11. Describe Governor Nicholson's design for the streets.

• 12. What population did Virginia have at the close of the seventeenth
  century?

• 13. Who was Alexander Spotswood, and how was he received?

• 14. What legal right did he bring to the people?

• 15. What did he establish in Virginia?

• 16. Give an account of Spotswood's crossing the Blue Ridge.

• 17. What did they do on reaching the summit, and how did they commemorate
  the event?

• 18. When and by whom were the cities of Richmond and Petersburg
  founded?

• 19. What invitation did the Virginia Gazette give to the public?

• 20. Give an account of the gradual settlement of the valley of Virginia.

• 21. Of what nationality were its settlers?