The first British settlement in North America was established in 1607 and was named Jamestown, after King James I. It was a little tobacco growing colony located on the east coast, in the region which was eventually to become the state of Virginia. One of the constant debates among the settlers was whether or not to expand the colony. There was great profit to be had in tobacco growing, especially since labor was cheap; the settlers of Jamestown had brought the first African slaves to North America. On the other hand, the settlement was surrounded by unfriendly natives who, of course, opposed expansion.
Nathaniel Bacon, a member of the Governor's Council, was one of the greatest advocates of expansion. In 1676 he took the law into his own hands and organized an expedition against the Indians. Governor William Berkley, fearing a large scale war, denounced these activities and sent his soldiers to quell what history has recorded as the "Bacon Rebellion." The soldiers began to mobilize for the expected battle which never took place.
Camped out in a field, the soldiers cooked up a stew which they flavored with what they thought was an edible plant. A most remarkable picture began to unfold minutes after they had downed the food. All thoughts of battle disappeared as soldiers began to run around laughing, giggling, yelling at each other with slurred speech. The delirium continued for eleven days. The Governor's army had been defeated not by Bacon's men, but by atropine,a naturally occurring chemical found in a lowly weed, known to this day as Jamestown weed, or in a corrupted form, jimsonweed.
