During the 17th century, there was a major cultural divide between the wealthy white settlers of Colonial America and the poor white settlers. Many poor whites were subjected to indentured servitude, which at the time was one small step away from slavery. In fact, indentured servants joined forces with slaves in a struggle for land and wealth in what is today known as Bacon's Rebellion. There was also a major divide between settlers living in the rural “hinterland” and urban dwellers. Urban dwellers were those who participated in colonial assemblies and therefore made decisions that affected the unrepresented men of the hinterland. Although geographic factors played a role in this cultural divide, the violent revolts (Paxton Boys, Regulator Movement) of upcountry populations against the wealthy upper class were fueled by the desire for wealth and political control; an idea that would be reflected in America's struggle for independence. Paxton was a settlement located in what is now western Pennsylvania, what was considered the frontier in the 17th century. The Paxton Boys petitioned the colonial legislature to provide arms and ammunition to the settlers in the event of an Indian attack, which seemed certain. Their request having been refused, Paxton's men attacked an Indian village, killing 6 Indians, and marched on the capital. Paxton's settlers were quite poor. They had little property to protect. However, these settlers felt like their government did not allow them to protect themselves against the Indians. If the Indians destroyed everything in the colony, the settlers would no longer be able to develop their economy, because there would be nothing left. People o...... middle of paper ...... This thought process was similar to that which was in the heads of many patriots only a few years later, when the prospect of war with the England was becoming certain. However, the impact of geography on all these revolts cannot be underestimated. Without the physical distance between rural settlements and their colony capitals, this feeling of detachment would not have existed. Without the existence of photographs, if the members of the assemblies were not in the hinterland, seeing with their own eyes the conditions of which the unfortunate settlers complained, they had no way of fully assessing the seriousness of 'a situation. It was easy for an assembly to dismiss the complaints of a rural settlement as insignificant if they did not experience them for themselves. The geography of the colonies caused this division between rural and urban settlers..