Although massachusetts was the focal point of the crisis, other states experienced similar economic hardships. That lone historian, leonard richards, had not yet finished his revolutionary book, shays rebellion. Rebellion led to the enactment of the us constitution and the presidency of george washington. Moynihan bostons response to disorder in the commonwealth 17831787 myron f. Shayss rebellion, though seemingly a local affair, was the revolution that gave rise to modern american democracy. Chicago solidarity shays rebellion october, 1973 published by. Oct 19, 2018 a week later on february 4, lincolns men ambushed shays and his men at a camp in petersham and crushed the main rebellion. In pelham there is a monument to the regulators and their cause. Shays rebellion started when the government of massachusetts decided to raise taxes instead of issuing paper money to pay off its debts.
Nearby amherst has shays street and the horse caves, an overhanging ledge under which, according to local legend, daniel shays hid during the regulation. The only way shays rebellion would be correct is if there were multiple shayses leading the rebellion, and since there was only one shays leading the rebellion, that makes it shays s. During the bitter winter of 178687, daniel shays, a modest farmer and revolutionary war veteran, and his compatriot luke day led an unsuccessful armed rebellion against the state of massachusetts. Insurgent leaders including shays fled north to vermont, still an. Theres more to the book than simply the rebellion, as the author details how the rebellion actually helped rid us of the articles of confederation.
During the bitter winter of 178687, daniel shays, a modest farme. The uprising was one of the major influences in the calling of a constitutional convention in philadelphia. The rebels, led by daniel shays were small farmers angered 836 words 4 pages. A solid study of the rebellion focusing on the economic basis of the divergent interests of the eastern merchants who needed hard currency for trade with britain and the westren subsistence farmers. During the bitter winter of 178687, daniel shays, a modest farmer and revolutionary war veteran, and his compatriot luke day led an unsuccessful. Shays s rebellion questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on shays s rebellion. Bellamys themes of social revolt accompany an affirmation of the american ideals of.
Shays rebellion which occurred right after the american war of independence is the famed domestic revolt of the peasant class. The rebellion was lead by and named after daniel shays, a revolutionary war veteran and a farmer living in massachusetts. Dec 31, 2015 a super fast overview of the importance of the event known as shays rebellion from hiphughes with a special appearance from ouija, the demon cat. Shayss rebellion that differs from most, if not all, previous accounts of the. Debtridden farmers, struck by the economic depression that followed the american revolution, petitioned the state senate to issue paper money and to halt foreclosure of mortgages on their property and their own imprisonment for debt as a result of high land taxes. The american revolutions final battle 9780812218701. Howard zinn, a peoples history of the united states.
Edward bellamy, later famous as the author of looking backward, produced in the duke of stockbridge 1879 a novel which gives a more accurate account, samuel eliot morison said, of shays rebellion than any of the formal histories. The rebellion is named after daniel shays, a veteran of the american revolution who led the rebels, also known as shaysites or regulators. A super fast overview of the importance of the event known as shays rebellion from hiphughes with a special appearance from ouija, the demon cat. Shays rebellion has been a topic of historical debate for almost two hundred years. Hitherto, the novel has been available only in a heavily edited version. Foreword martin kaufman introduction larry lowenthal shays rebellion in springfield david szatmary shays rebellion in taunton richard r. The articles of confederation and shayss rebellion duration.
Shays rebellion was an armed resistance movement of about 4,000 men in western massachusetts. Shays rebellion was a series of violent attacks on courthouses and other government properties in massachusetts that began in 1786 and led to a fullblown military confrontation in 1787. History professor authors his first book on massachusetts. The book contained good information and i captured the details i was looking for. History professor authors his first book on massachusetts shayss rebellion. He is the author of numerous books, including the slave power. Shays rebellion was a rebellion in central and western massachusetts mainly springfield from 1786 to 1787. Shayss rebellion, 178687, armed insurrection by farmers in w massachusetts against the state government. Thomas jefferson referred to it as the little rebellion.
It examines connec tions between the cause of shays rebellion, newspaper statements about. Richards is professor of history at the university of massachusetts, amherst. In issuing this pamphlet on shays rebellion, we at solidarity books hope we are. Jan 25, 2019 on this day in 1787, shays rebellion effectively ended in springfield, mass. Shays rebellion should be read by anyone interested in the confederation period.
Armed bands forced the closing of several courts to prevent execution of foreclosures and debt processes. Shays rebellion indicates more than inexpensively depressed new england farmers waging war on creditors. A merrimack professors new book examines the first postindependence challenges to the united states and massachusetts governments, in hopes of spurring student interest in a critical event in the development of the republic. Szatmary dedicate the instance and study essential to categorize shays rebellion as the chronological watershed it truly is. In september 1786 daniel shays and other local leaders led several hundred men in forcing the supreme court in springfield to adjourn. Shays rebellion simple english wikipedia, the free. Shayss rebellion, august 1786february 1787, uprising in western massachusetts in opposition to high taxes and stringent economic conditions. The american revolutions final battle, leonard richards reveals that this perception is misleading, that the rebellion was much more widespread than previously thought, and that the participants and their supporters actually represented whole communitiesthe wealthy and the poor, the influential and the weak, even members of some of the best massachusetts families. It occurred largely due to the economic repercussions faced by the nation after the war, and also to retaliate against the unjust taxes levied on farmers. Shays rebellion was the first major armed rebellion in the postrevolution united states. In 1786, three years after the treaty of peace was signed, there was a rebellion of farmers in western massachusetts, led by daniel shays, a veteran of the revolutionary war. The topic seemed to jump around a bit too much, so this book requires the listener to be attentive.
The rebellion stemmed from a postrevolutionary war depression and a shortage of hard money that left western farmers in danger of losing their land to foreclosures as a result of their failure to pay debts and taxes. Shays rebellion this conflict in massachusetts caused many to criticize the articles of confederation and admit the weak central government was not working. Throughout the late summer and fall of 1786, farmers in central and west. Dec 10, 20 the articles of confederation and shays s rebellion duration. Shays rebellion the making of an agrarian insurrection. The free north and southern domination, 17801860 and the life and times of congressman john quincy adams, a finalist in 1987 for the pulitzer prize for biography. Shays rebellion, 1786 a short history of the shays rebellion in massachusetts in the wake of the american revolution, in which many poor farmers and war veterans attempt to shut down the states courts in protest at the debt burden on veterans and high taxes on farmers.
The taxes fell most heavily on farmers, particularly poor farmers in the western part of the state. Shays rebellion shays rebellion was an uprising in massachusetts during late 1786 and early 1787. Shayss rebellion questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on shayss rebellion. Shays rebellion project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Trained in boston as a lawyer, minot served as clerk of the massachusetts house during the rebellion and personally deprecated. The book involved much painstaking primary research.
Publications of the colonial society of massachusetts. For debt crisis lessons, look back 225 years by john blake, cnn shays rebellion, an armed uprising in massachusetts in the 1780s, may offer lessons in todays standoff over the debt ceiling. In 1788, a year after the insurrection had ended, george richards minot wrote the history of the insurrections in massachusetts. Nov, 2009 shays rebellion was an armed uprising in western massachusetts that run from 1786 to 1787. A violent insurrection in the massachusetts countryside during 1786 and 1787, shays rebellion was brought about by a monetary debt crisis at the end of the american revolutionary war. The intention of this paper is to analyze the problems that led to shays rebellion and to describe the casual relationship it had with the ratification of the u. Shays rebellion was an armed uprising in western massachusetts in opposition to a debt crisis among the citizenry and the state governments increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades. In september 1786 daniel shays and other local leaders led several hundred men in forcing. During the course of other research in the massachusetts state archives, richards came across a list of 4000 people who, upon participating in and losing the shays rebellion, had signed an oath of loyalty to the state of massachusetts in order to be given clemency. The uprising was crushed, but it put a scare into those leaders who were to become our founding fathers. Shays rebellion troubled farmers in the first years of peacetime, following the revolutionary war, the future of both the agrarian and commercial society appeared threatened by a strangling chain of debt which aggravated the depressed economy of the postwar years. In 1786, debtridden massachusetts farmers under the leadership of. Shays rebellion was the revolt of western massachusetts farmers against their state legislature because they felt they were being unequally represented.
The struggle for legitimacy in worcester kenneth j. Shays rebellion took place because the rural population believed the richer merchant population was imposing unfair economic terms on them. The former colonies, many of them saddled with large war debts, were struggling to find ways to pay their creditors. Richards book on the shays s rebellion or the regulation, as the rebels referred to it is absolutely first rate. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this shays rebellion study guide and get instant access to the following analysis. General lincoln went west to clean out berkshire, causing many to flee into. The years after the american revolution 1775 1783 were very hard for most americans. List of books and articles about shays rebellion online.
632 1062 207 510 107 333 330 649 1388 1627 1047 235 1149 336 824 208 1584 1489 863 475 631 694 278 1488 523 458 773 1620 144 813 1498 1195 718 952 933 800 1166 1658 999 82 71 1173 797 345 547 562 155 1042 651 190