This episode explores Bacon’s Rebellion (1676) and argues that America’s first major political crisis began with a collapse of legitimacy—governors grew distant and failed to protect people, provoking unrest rooted in insecurity and institutional failure rather than ideology.

It shows how Virginia’s elites responded by reasserting status and order, and draws parallels to today: legitimate concerns (like immigration and cultural continuity) are being turned into permanent emergencies that excuse power grabs and enrichment.

The episode’s central warning is that stability requires responsibility and reform, not distraction and endless outrage; institutions survive when leaders reclaim their duties, not when they manufacture crises.