Both Bacons rebellion and the Stono rebellion reflected the growing tension between different economic statuses,

as well as different ethnic groups. Both pitted the have-nots against the wealthy in an attempt to win economic or literal freedom. In addition to this both conflicts were tinged with racial tensions that precipitated the conflict. Bacons rebellion was a revolt led by William Bacon in opposition to the Govenro of Virginias treatment of the Native American population. Bacon led a group of young poor planters in the west against the established plantation owners who lived in the east. Thanks to the growing need for land to grow tobacco, colonists had been pushing further and further west. This inevitably brought them into conflict with the native tribes of the area. The current governor attempted to alleviate the conflict by adopting a policy of containment. He advocated for the building of defensive forts to protect colonists at the outskirts of colonial territory. Bacon and his followers were outraged at this plan for several reasons. Firstly they were upset as this plan would limit their growth west. They felt that the rich easterners who had huge tracts of land were intentionally trying to keep them poorer. They also viewed the plan as a ploy by the governor to raise taxes on them. Finally they felt that the governor should be exterminating the Indians, not negotiating with them. To this effect Bacon and his followers began raiding and butchering native villages and towns. He then led 500 men to Jamestown the seat of the colony and the wealthiest town in the colony. The majority of his followers were men from out west who felt as though they had been cheated out of the fortune the more established planters had gained. Using soldiers he took control of the town, and released the "Declaration of the People of Virginia." The declaration accused Berkeley's administration of levying unfair taxes, appointing friends to high positions, and failing to protect frontier settlers from Indian attack. Bacons forces launched attacks across the frontier on the Indian nations. The rebellion culminated with Jamestown being torched and looted by Bacons forces. Bacon himself died of disease soon after and the rebellion collapsed. Bacons rebellion reflected the tensions between the poor farmers, and the already established, rich farmers, as well as tensions between whites and natives. Thanks to falling tobacco prices, farmers required more and more land to make a profit. The established farmers who controlled the House of Burgesses at the time already had enough land to sustain them, and opposed expansion west on the grounds that it would bring unnecessary conflict. The poor farmers farther west on the other hand strongly advocated for expansion due to their need for land and their hatred of Native Americans. These conflicts came to a head when the Governor limited the expansion to the west. The poor felt betrayed and ignored by the government. The poor also felt enslaved by the rich landowners and many of them at the time were unable to vote, putting them at the mercy of the rich. The poor stuck out, at both the rich, and the others in this case Native Americans. These conflicts, between rich and poor, and between peoples of different races have repeated themselves throughout all of American history, from the Civil War to Japanese Internment camps, from union protests, to occupy Wall Street. The Stono rebellion also reflected these social and economic rifts between the rich and poor, the free and the enslaved. During the Stono rebellion slaves stole weapons and began killing planters and farmers. The slave revolt was brutally crushed by a force of militia. As a result of this incident, laws regarding slaves were tightened in order to prevent such an incident from occurring again.

In the Stono rebellion we see the theme recurring of the have-nots fighting against the haves. The salves, devoid of all possessions, and regarded themselves as property are the ultimate have-nots. Like the poor farmers the slaves were frustrated by their inability to prosper in the New World. (To put it lightly) The slaves, like the farmers were prevented from having a say in the decisions that governed their lives. Their revolt, like Bacons was tinged with racial resentment and hate. Unlike Bacons revolt however, which ended with increased voting rights for the poor, and the continued expansion of the colonies, the slaves rebellion ended in death, and harsher slave codes. These slave codes planted the seeds of conflict to come later in the history of our nation. These themes of rich versus poor, and of free versus not free have repeated themselves throughout all of history. Colonial society, like all societies was unfair, or had those who viewed it as such. Those who think they are being discriminated against in society always take up arms or signs against their oppressors. The Stono and the Bacon rebellion reflected the economic and social tension that was present in colonial society, and is still present in every society.