Give Me Liberty: The Struggle for Self-Government in VirginiaWertenbaker, Thomas Jefferson
History
Give Me Liberty: The Struggle for Self-Government in Virginia
Wertenbaker, Thomas Jefferson
Virginia -- Politics and government -- To 1775
Although Thomas Culpeper had been too young to fight in the Civil War,
he donned a suit of armor with breastplate, shoulderpieces, and
brassarts, to have his portrait painted. But the face is not that of a
warrior. It is draped by the flowing hair of the Cavalier, has a
prominent nose and a weak mouth with the trace of a sneer. Culpeper had
followed Charles into exile, and with the Restoration had expected
compensation for his losses. But since there was not enough to go round
among all the hungry Cavaliers, the King repaid him at the expense of
his subjects in Virginia, first with the Arlington-Culpeper grant, and
then by making him Governor of Virginia.
The outlook for the colony was gloomy. The King was determined to
override the people's rights and make himself absolute. Culpeper was
interested in filling his pockets. The Green Spring Faction were still
seeking to make good their losses at the expense of the rebels. The
common people were suffering from the high taxes and the low price of
tobacco.
The King had as much trouble in getting Culpeper to sail for Virginia as
he had had in making Berkeley come back to England. My Lord had no
desire to exchange London for the forests of Virginia; he had little
interest in carrying out his instructions. All he wanted was his salary
and anything he could make out of the Northern Neck. At last, after two
years of dillydallying, the King told him that unless he sailed at once
he would remove him as Governor. So in February, 1680, he left the Downs
with the tobacco fleet.[48]
On his arrival at Jamestown, the members of the Council and other
leading planters flocked around him, eager to give their version of the
troubles in the colony and to secure his support. When the Council met,
Culpeper was assured that the King had been misinformed on many points
by Moryson and Berry. Philip Ludwell was a loyal, honest servant of the
King, and should be restored to his place in the Council. Injustice had
been done to Colonel Hill, and they begged the new Governor to intercede
for him.[49]
As for the King's rebuke to the Assembly for questioning his right to
seize their records, the Council advised Culpeper not to present it. To
do so would "unravel and disturb the good and cheerful settlement we are
now in by your Excellency's great prudence and conduct."[50] So they
induced him to suspend the rebuke until the King should order to the
contrary.
Culpeper seems to have brought a degree of peace to the contending
factions. The act of pardon ended the plundering of the estates of the
former rebels, and the aggrieved loyalists were encouraged to seek
redress through the Assembly. Colonel Spencer wrote that the "late
different interests" had been "perfectly united to the general
satisfaction of all."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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