Question

secondary source document analysis: below is an excerpt of a book written by historian howard zinn in 1980, a peoples history of the united states. in this excerpt, he discusses bacons rebellion in more detail. the words in bold are defined below the excerpt. read the excerpt carefully and then answer the analysis questions that follow.
bacons rebellion began with a conflict over how to deal with the indians on the western frontier of the virginia colony. early in jamestowns settlement, land grants went mostly to wealthy aristocrats who settled in villages and towns near to the eastern virginia coastline. as the population of jamestown grew, poorer and middle - class whites - many of whom had come to america as indentured servants over 50 - 60 years, were forced to settle further inland on the western edges on the virginia frontier, closer to the constantly threatening indians. furthermore, governor william berkeley (leader of the jamestown colony) and the jamestown elite seemed almost friendly to the indians. they wooed certain natives as spies and allies now that they had most of the land in the east.
were those frontier virginians resentful that powerful aristocrats who controlled the citys government in jamestown first pushed them westward into indian territory? were they using the poorer frontier whites as a buffer for peace?
times were hard in 1676... it was a dry summer, ruining the corn crop, which was needed for food, and the tobacco crop, needed for export. when nathaniel bacon began leading that royal commission to report on the virginia frontier to the indians, and that the jamestown government wasnt doing enough, people listened. in a royal commission done written in 1677 to inform the british of why this uprising happened, he was described as:
\he seduced the vulgar and most ignorant people to believe so that their whole hearts and hopes were set now upon bacon. next he charges the governour as negligent and wicked, treacherous and incapable, the laws and taxes as unjust and oppressive and pleas for absolute necessity of redress. thus bacon encouraged the uproar and as the unquiet crowd follow and adhere to him, he listed their concerns as they come in upon a large paper... having conjured them into this circle, given them brandy to wind up the charm and enjoyed them by an oath to stick fast together and to him and the oath being administered, he went and infected the county ripe for rebellion....\
nathaniel bacon became a symbol of mass resentment against the virginia establishment; he himself though was an aristocrat with a good deal of land, and was probably more enthusiastic about killing indians than resolving the grievances of the poor frontiersman. when he insisted on organizing armed militias to fight the indians, outside official control, governor berkeley proclaimed him and his militia army a rebel. despite this, bacon persisted and organized a large group of men to begin attacking and raiding the indians. in the fall, bacon, aged twenty - nine, fell sick and died of dysentery. the rebellion didnt last long after that, the british crown sent a navy fleet of 1,000 british soldiers to put down and control the rebellion and settle the war with the indians.
it was a complex chain of oppression in virginia. the indians were plundered by white frontiersmen, who were taxed and controlled by the jamestown elite. and the whole colony was being exploited by england, which bought the colonists tobacco at prices it dictated and made 100,000 pounds a year for the king.
adapted from a peoples history of the united states (1980) by howard zinn - chapter 3
vocabulary
frontier - border, limit, in this case the western border or limit of virginia
aristocrats - wealthy land owning class of people
resentful - angry, bitter, jealous
escalated - climb, rapidly increase
house of burgesses - first elected governing body in the colonies (virginia)
grievances - injustice, wronged
dysentery - infection of the intestines
oppression - abuse, hardship, injustice
analysis questions:

1. sourcing: is this source a secondary source, or a primary source? how do you know?

howard zinn analyzes and interprets the event rather than presenting firsthand accounts.
close reading: according to this source, what were the causes of bacons rebellion? list at least two causes suggested by this reading.
the causes of bacons rebellion in 1676 were a complex mix of economic problems, social tensions, and political conflicts over indian policy in the virginia colony. the rebellion pitted nathaniel bacon and his followers, a coalition of frontier settlers, landless men, indentured servants, and enslaved people, against the colonial government led by governor william berkeley.

1. close reading and contextualization: according to this source, what was probably nathaniel bacons true motive for launching this rebellion? cite textual evidence to support your claim.

land conflicts and resentment toward aristocratic favoritism and neglect of frontier settlers.

1. close reading and contextualization: how does the information in the secondary source above give you a fuller picture of bacons rebellion than the primary source you read first?

it provides broader social, economic, and political context, offering a fuller understanding of the rebellion.

1. sourcing and corroboration: if you were to try and corroborate (confirm) howard zinns claims about nathaniel bacons motive, what kinds of primary sources might you look for or gather research from?

letters, government reports, eyewitness testimonies, or colonial records from the period.

1. close reading: how does the royal commission report quoted in this excerpt describe nathaniel bacon? do you think that source is reliable? why or why not?

the report depicts bacon unfavorably, suggesting bias; its reliability is questionable due to potential colonial bias.

1. corroboration: which of the accusations listed in the peoples declaration (document 1) is corroborated by this excerpt from howard zinn?

Explanation:

1. A secondary source interprets or analyzes events, and Howard Zinn is doing just that.
2. The text mentions economic issues like crop - failures, social tensions between different classes, and political differences over Indian policy as causes.
3. His true motive seems to be related to land and resentment towards the establishment, as the text indicates he was an aristocrat but sympathized with frontier settlers' grievances.
4. The secondary source gives more context about the social, economic, and political situation in the colony.
5. Primary sources from the time like letters or official reports can help confirm his motives.
6. The Royal Commission report is likely biased against Bacon as it is a colonial - era source.
7. Without knowing the content of document 1, we can't answer this part. But in general, we'd look for matching accusations in both sources for corroboration.

Answer:

1. It is a secondary source because Howard Zinn analyzes and interprets the event rather than presenting firsthand accounts.
2. Causes: economic problems (crop - failures), social tensions (between different classes), political conflicts over Indian policy.
3. True motive: land conflicts and resentment toward aristocratic favoritism and neglect of frontier settlers. Text evidence: "Nathaniel Bacon became a symbol of mass resentment against the Virginia establishment; he himself though was an aristocrat with a good deal of land, and was probably more enthusiastic about killing Indians than resolving the grievances of the poor frontiersman."
4. It provides broader social, economic, and political context, offering a fuller understanding of the rebellion.
5. Primary sources: letters, government reports, eyewitness testimonies, or colonial records from the period.
6. The report depicts Bacon unfavorably, suggesting bias; its reliability is questionable due to potential colonial bias.
7. No answer provided as content of document 1 is not given.