Tales from a Revolution: Bacon's Rebellion and the Transformation of Early America

April 15 • 6 p.m. • Jamestown Settlement

Historian James D. Rice presents a colorfully detailed account of Bacon's Rebellion, highlighting how the central events and its aftermath are woven into the founding story of America.

During the Rebellion, the powerful, charismatic Governor Berkeley, the sorrowful Susquehannock warrior Monges, the wily Indian trader and tobacco planter William Byrd, the regal Pamunkey chieftain Cockacoeske, and the rebel leader himself, Nathaniel Bacon were all pulled into an escalating conflict whose outcome, month by month, remained uncertain. As the drama unfolded, it became apparent that the struggle between Governor Berkeley and the impetuous Bacon was nothing less than a battle over the soul of America, and, moreover, the issues at the heart of the rebellion lasted for generations.

This presentation is part of a series of lectures and programs to reflect on and reconsider Bacon’s Rebellion at 350 years in collaboration with Preservation Virginia.

Tickets are $15.

James D. Rice, Ph.D.

James Rice is the Walter S. Dickson Professor of English and American History at Tufts University, where he teaches early American, Native American, and environmental history.

Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are proud to host public lectures and first-person performances that link storylines found in the museums’ exhibition galleries and share how these vast moments in America’s past influenced its progression to the present.

Videos of past presentations may be made available to view online following recorded programs – based on prior approval from individual guest lecturers. Learn more about past lectures.

Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Members, 2026 Annual Passholders and residents of James City County, York County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive free general museum admission with proof of residency. For more information, call (757) 253-4838.

Explore other activities and events happening throughout the year.

About Jamestown Settlement

Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days), Jamestown Settlement is located on State Route 31 just southwest of Williamsburg. The museum features expansive exhibition galleries and films that connect visitors with the lives of the Powhatan, English and West Central African cultures that converged at 17th-century Jamestown. Outdoor living-history areas feature historical interpretation in re-creations of Paspahegh Town, 1607 English ships and a colonial fort.

Admission tickets can be purchased online or in person.