Farmers living in newly settled areas in central and Western Massachusetts struggled with high debt and heavy taxation as they were trying to start farms in the 1780s. Other state legislatures during this time responded to similar economic crisis by passing pro-debtor laws. These were laws that forgave debt and printed more paper money (Shays' Rebellion). However, in Massachusetts, this was not the case. Instead, the government seized the farms, and some farmers who couldn’t pay their debt were thrown into prison. The settlers were shocked at how the government was handling this situation, and decided to take that matter into their own hands. Shays’ Rebellion was the first armed rebellion in the post-Revolutionary United States, where settlers called for special meetings where they agreed on coordinated protests. …show more content…
When Daniel Shays took leadership of the rebellion, the events soon “flared into a full-scale revolt.” The members of the rebellion were soon named Shaysites, after Daniel Shays. Many saw them as heroes who stood up against the government for what they thought was right. But, many saw them as “dangerous rebels whose actions might topple the young experiment in republican government” (Shays' Rebellion). James Bowdoin, who was currently the governor of Massachusetts, decided to organize a military force that crushed the movement. The Shaysites quickly fell apart, but the social reasons on why this rebellion happened still remained. This made people realize that they needed to develop a stronger constitution. The Articles of Confederation was unable to keep this uprising from happening, which turned out to be a clear problem. This rebellion proved that the United States needed a strong central government that was able to handle uprisings before they got too out of
Shays' Rebellion is the name of protests by American farmers. The leader of the rebellion was Daniel Shay’s. Daniel would lead thousands of men against the State of Massachusetts, due to what was believed to be unjust economic issues. Shay’s Rebellion would go on to attempt to capture the largest Armory in the United States, located in Springfield MA.
Last night on February 4, 1787, General Benjamin Lincoln attacked members of the Shays’ Rebellion, and successfully captured 150 of the rebels. As a result, Daniel Shays left Massachusetts and fled to Vermont. Shays Rebellion was an armed rebellion consisting of 1,200 angry farmers from Massachusetts. They caused major chaos in this state. On December 26, 1786 Daniel Shays and the rebels revolted in Springfield, Massachusetts insisting that the state legislature address their issues, such as lack of money.
What took place in Massachusetts during the years 1786 through 1787 shocked many. Shays’ Rebellion is directly linked to the high taxes and call for debt collection imposed by the government after the American Revolution (Danver 207). A group of newly settled farmers lead by a veteran of the Revolution, Daniel Shays, band together in hopes of changing the future; in hopes of living in a world without the economic injustices they were facing. It even wound up getting the attention of George Washington who stated that the rebellion played an integral role in his decision to attend the Philadelphia Convention (Danver 215). In a letter addressed to General Henry Knox, George Washington expressed his complete and utter shock regarding the recent uprising.
This event was a test to show if the new country could take the violence current countries had to take. Shays Rebellion showed the American government was weak and needed a change soon. This event was so tragic that this led to the destruction of The Articles of Confederation. In current day America we are now governed by a stronger government under The Constitution that is why the event is so important in American history and that is why I chose this event.
Thomas Jefferson will support modern day protest because of his beliefs on how a government should act. According to the Declaration of Independence Jefferson does not like having a King or a strong central government, "He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly...". Later, in 1787 Shay's Rebellion took place in Massachusetts, Jefferson responded in a letter saying that it was good to rebel. According to the letter, "Let the people take arms.". Also, Jefferson's letter stated that he worries the Constitutional Convention will write a new Constitution.
Despite their effort to create a new government different from Britain's following their Independence in 1776, America’s executive branch paralleled Britain’s. One of the main concerns many Revolutionists had with Britain’s government was that it had too much unregulated power. To avoid this, America wrote down its laws clearly in the Articles of Confederation and ratified it among the colonies in 1781, creating a decentralized government. Through practice, the colonists realized the Articles of Confederation needed tweaking; Massachusetts farmers saw the prices for crops plummet in 1786 but the government still demanded they their mortgages. Shay’s rebellion followed, in which the farmers insisted that it was the government’s job to assist
Shays Rebellion “The people who have stepped up to demand rights for themselves and others are likely to be put in jails from home.” Why would they be put in jail? What did Shays rebellion do to be put in such a harsh condition? You might be asking these questions, but surprisingly enough, there is plenty of evidence to prove why Shays Rebellion should have been put in jail for their actions. Although many believe that Shays and his followers were freedom-fighters, they were actually rebels because they could have handled the situation better,they were not logical about the situation and they caused many riots.
Shays’ Rebellion During Shays’ Rebellion, what were the farmers considered? Farmers were being taxed 1000% more after the Revolutionary War and since they weren’t able to pay they went to jail. 1,500 men decided to break into the government’s arsenal and steal weapons. All of that triggered the local militia which led them to killing four farmers. Although people think of the farmers as rebels, nevertheless the farmers were freedom fighters because they fought against unlawful punishment, stepped up to demand rights, and fought for money that they weren’t given.
During the eighteenth-century, settlers in the back country resorted to armed insurrection to affect change in the political, economic, and social realms of their colonies and states. In 1763, there was a group known as the Paxton Boys. The Paxton Boys were formed to retaliate against American Indians and the Pontiac Rebellion after the French and Indian War. The Paxton Boys killed many Susquehannock, also known as Conestogas. This act was known as the Conestoga Massacre.
Between 1786 and 1787 in the United States the Articles of Confederation were being tested by political issues. The main crisis was the Shays Rebellion led by Daniel Shays. The rebellion was a revolt against the state's taxing large amounts towards farmers causing them to foreclose. The farmers were unable to pay the high taxes and feared to lose their
The Massachusetts government arrested many Shaysites for treason, but was later forced to pardon all but two because so many people had been involved. Massachusetts’ new governor, John Hancock, realized he could not punish such a large number of citizens without instigating further restlessness. So many insurgents had been involved that the government was forced to let most of them off without penalty. Starkey reveals one of the many lessons of the rebellion: “Government was not to be amended by force of arms. The inefficacy of that kind of textual criticism had been amply proved, and there must be no more rebellions.
As Thomas Jefferson wrote, “...what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let the people take arms.” In January 1787, a group of farmers lead by Daniel Shays protested in Massachusetts, because they were upset about unfair taxing laws and because of them, lost their property, couldn’t make money, and were sent to jail. They protested by taking over the government’s arsenal. Although some may argue that Daniel Shays and his followers were rebels because of their controversial methods, nevertheless Shays and his followers were freedom fighters, because they had a valid reason for what they did, the laws were unfair, and they were just trying to get their rights.
Shay’s Rebellions follow the Revolutionary war and how the US fell into a economic crisis, There were a lot of tension due to farmers losing their property to to debt collectors. In January 1787, him and his force were sent to a federal armory at Springfield but it failed due the artillery fire and how it lead to 4 people being killed and 20 people being wounded. Rebellion doesn’t always end up peaceful and it can also show no improvement at.
Around the time of these protests Americans were beginning to realize their rights as citizens and what their ideal government looked like. Settlers of the backcountry were rebelling against the federalists, attempting to acquire more representation in the government. The people of the backcountry were becoming more oppressed as Alexander Hamilton began to attempt to improve America’s economy with manufacturing and revenue taxes. The backcountry settlers organized violent protests, three of these rebellions being Shays’ Rebellion, Whiskey Rebellion, and March of the Paxton Boys.
The locals used whiskey not only for drinking but also for cooking and medicine. To the people apart of the Whiskey Rebellion, whiskey during the eighteenth century was as valuable as gold. The uproar took a turn for the worse in 1791 on October when the rebellion disguised themselves as farmers snatched a federal tax collector from his bed, marched him five miles to a blacksmith shop where they stripped him of his clothes, and burned him with a poker (Frear, 1999). Over the next three years that followed the locals in the rebellion kidnaped dozens of tax collectors. The rebels beat, shot, tarred, feathered, and terrorized dozen federal tax collectors.