Bacon’s Rebellion and The
French and Indian War

Bacon’s Rebellion
• Some colonists had settled outside of
Jamestown on the frontier.
• frontier – the edge of a settled territory.
• These colonists suffered constant attacks from the
Indians and believed that the colonial government did not protect them enough!

Bacon’s Rebellion
• These colonists believed that the governor favored the Indians because he traded with them.
• The governor told the colonists not to attack the
Indians.
• One man named Nathaniel
Bacon was tired of the
Indian attacks. He led a group of angry colonists in an attack against the
Indians on the frontier.

Bacon’s Rebellion
• After defeating the Indians,
Bacon and his men attacked the governor and his men at Jamestown.
• Bacon and his men burned much of Jamestown to the ground!
• Bacon died suddenly, and the governor ended the rebellion!
• When the King heard about the problems in Virginia, he was unhappy. He sent a new governor to take charge.

The Most Important Colony
• By the mid-1700s, Great Britain had established thirteen (13) colonies in North
America.
• Virginia was important in many ways.
– It had been the 1 st permanent colony.
– It was the largest and most populated colony.
– It was the richest colony.

The Most Important Colony
• What Virginians thought and did was important to Great
Britain and to the other colonies.

The French and Indian War
• Great Britain and France were in competition with each other to be the greatest power in the
New World.
• Each country was ready to go to war to get control of the land in the New
World.
• The American Indians also wanted the land since this was their home before either France or
Great Britain had settlers here.

The French and Indian War
• The Indians helped the
French because they liked trading furs with them and the Indians believed that the French did not want to steal their land from them!
• It was the French and the
Indians against Great
Britain and the colonists.
• Great Britain used its army and men from the thirteen (13) colonies to fight the French and
Indians.

The French and Indian War
• One of these men was
George Washington. He was a young officer in the
Virginia militia.
• The colonists called this war the French and
Indian War because they were fighting both the
French and the Indians.

Important Results of the War
• After years of fighting, Great Britain and the colonists won the war!
• Great Britain gained control of all the land east of the Mississippi River except for the city of New Orleans.
• American men (colonists) had learned how to be soldiers.

Important Results of the War
• Men like George
Washington had learned how to command troops.
By fighting along side of the British, George
Washington was able to see the weaknesses of the British army.
• The colonists had also held meetings and learned how to work together.

Important Results of the War
• All of these things helped them win the war.
• They were very important for what was about to happen – The American
Revolution!