Shays’ Rebellion

The armed attacks in Massachusetts against courthouses and other government assets from 1786 to
1787 were known as Shays’ Rebellion. The movement was named after Daniel Shays, one of the main rebels in
the attacks. Most of the participants in the attacks, were veterans who fought in the Revolutionary War who later
became farmers and were against the government’s policies. They suffered from poverty and blamed the
government's economic policies for it. When the attacks were happening, the government’s response to them
came slowly. At that time, the government was powerless against the rebels, under the Articles of
Confederation. Shay’s Rebellion produced the fear of possibly having excess democracy, which led to a
complete change in government policies, leaving the Articles of Confederation behind and bring in the new U.S.
constitution, thus, making a strong central government.

Shays Rebellion was organized by a group of farmers who had previously fought in war and
hadn’t been rewarded fairly. Not only this, but they also found themselves struggling financially because of
certain economic policies that were in place at that time. Businesses wanted farmers to pay for the goods they
had previously received through promising future payment and trading with others. In addition, the
Massachusetts taxes were way too high because the governor had to keep his business investors interested and
the country was still in dept for the Revolutionary war. With all of this, farmers were very deep in debt and felt
that the policies harmed them and made it almost impossible to pay back what they owed.

The “Shayites”, Daniel Shays’ followers, organized meetings to talk about lowering taxes and
the distribution of paper money to finally pay their debts. When the government refused to make these changes
and ordered them to pay their taxes immediately, resentment grew in the rebels and the citizens. At first,
peaceful protests were made that succeeded in stopping courthouses from collecting taxes, but on January 1787

the first armed attack was made. The Shayites decided to attack the Springfield Arsenal, carrying weapons like
guns and pitchforks. They were met with the governor's army, led by General Benjamin Lincoln, which had
been waiting at the arsenal to defend it and put an end to the rebellion. Daniel Shays’ army was defeated, few
were killed and many were injured, forcing them to give up and escape to the countryside (Minot).

Even though they were ultimately defeated, Shays Rebellion called out the government for a change
and succeeded in spreading awareness of certain issues. People could no longer ignore the issues in the Articles
of Confederation that made it difficult to run the nation. Such as having a weak Congress that could not enforce
laws or taxes, having an excess of democracy and other issues that made it hard to control the country’s
finances. Knowing all this, the government finally decided to make a change to their old policies. The summer
of 1787, when a new governor was elected, a new legislature was put into place, one that put a temporary ban on
debts and lowered taxes. This was the change that finally helped the rebels who were still struggling financially
and the rest of the citizens that had also been affected by the previous policies.

The awareness that was produced led to the planning of the Constitutional Convention. The convention
was organized to deeply analyze the mistakes in the Articles of Confederation and come up with a helpful
solution. The Constitutional Convention led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution, a strong federal government
and the replacement of the Articles of Confederation. Once the stronger federal government was in place, the
U.S. could finally take more responsibility for the country’s economic and political needs. The members of the
convention, or delegates, decided that was what a growing nation needed to succeed.

In conclusion, Shays Rebellion made people become more aware of the issues of the time and pushed
the U.S. to better the government’s foundation. Issues such as excess democracy, unpayable debt and a weak
Congress were finally being addressed. It is responsible for the establishment of a strong federal government
that could finally sustain its still in progress nation. Regardless of whether the rebels won or not, their uprising
became the start of many changes that were to come in the government of the U.S., making it a turning point in
history.

TOPIC Shays’ Rebellion

DATE 1786-1787

REASON 1. Economic policies that affected the lower class

2. Policies in the Articles of Confederation that affected citizens

IMPORTANCE 1. Caused the formation of a strong federal government

2. Caused the removal of the Articles of Confederation
3. Caused the creation of the U.S. Constitution
4. Helped the U.S. start taking responsibility for the country’s needs

Bibliography

1. Richards, Leonard L. Shays's Rebellion The American Revolution's Final Battle. Philadelphia:

University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002. Print

2. Anonymous author. “SHAYS’ REBELLION – BACKGROUND.” Lenox History. 2016. Web. 20
April 2020.
3. U.S. Congress. United States Code: Articles of Confederation. 1777. Periodical.
4. The General Court of Massachusetts. “to the people of the commonwealth of Massachusetts”. 1786.
5. Minot, George Richards, 1758-1802. The History of the Insurrections, In Massachusetts, In the Year
MDCCLXXXVI: And the Rebellion Consequent Thereon. [1st ed.]. Worcester, Mass: by I. Thomas,
1788.