Bacon’s Rebellion: The First American Revolution
On May 9, 2026, AHP’s President Jay Dickey will give a talk in Denver, Colorado on one of the major events in the early years of the Virginia Colony. Jay’s talk is entitled “Bacon’s Rebellion: The First American Revolution.” Jay will deliver his remarks to the First Colorado Company of the Jamestowne Society. 2026 marks the 350th anniversary of Bacon’s Rebellion, which took place in 1676. Bacon was a political leader of the nascent Virginia Company, and who became the chief antagonist against the Colony’s Governor, William Berkeley. The Governor’s failed leadership provoked Bacon and his allies to mount an armed rebellion, which ultimately led to the burning of the Jamestown Fort. Bacon himself was an articulate spokesperson who advocated for a more democratic government, and more rigorous defense of the Colony of repeated Indian attacks. Bacon died suddenly in the midst of the warfare, and the rebellion was crushed.
