1677: CULPEPPER’S REBELLION

Due to the treacherous waters off the Carolina coast, tobacco was more easily shipped north on small ships to the colonists in New England, who then shipped it via larger ships to England. This “extra step” (shipping north and then shipping to Europe), combined with the Plantation Duty (a tax on any tobacco not shipped directly to England), placed an added financial burden on the farmers of Albemarle.

The newly appointed governor of the Carolinas, John Jenkins, knowing the hindrance that the new tax placed on his colonists, decided not to enforce it—a smart move for pleasing his neighbors but a bad move for keeping the Proprietors happy. Upon discovering his deceit, the eight Lords (a-leaping) promptly replaced Jenkins with a new governor (Eastchurch) and a new tax collector (Miller). When Eastchurch was delayed in England, Miller appointed himself interim governor and began gleefully collecting taxes while imprisoning all those who opposed him.

In 1677, John Culpepper led a group of forty civilians in armed response to Miller’s law-enforcing enthusiasm. Arresting Miller and his officials, Culpepper’s rebels took over the government, claiming that Miller had overstepped his authority as “temporary governor.” Once word reached England, the Proprietors worried that all this bothersome trouble would cause them to lose their charter. In a surprising reversal of justice, Culpepper and his accomplices were acquitted by the courts of England. Claiming that their “riot” was justified, Lord Shaftesbury (one of the Proprietors) defended the rebellion, arguing that the colonists had every right to rebel against Miller’s tax-collecting extremes. Lord Shaftesbury’s support of the rebels reinforced a deep-rooted colonial resentment of British interference—and the seeds of self-government were sown.

Following Culpepper’s Rebellion, as it came to be known, the Proprietors promptly appointed another governor—and incorrectly supposed that the rebellious colony would eventually settle down.