Bacon's Rebellion in 1676 was a test for self-government in Virginia. One of Virginia's earliest historians, Robert Beverley, a contemporary of Nathaniel Bacon who led the rebellion, described the origin and contours of the uprising in his History and Present State of Virginia, published almost thirty years after the event.
Beverley's account of the events is not really objective. He had sided with Governor Berkeley during the course of the dispute. Still his account is worth reading, since he was a good observer.