Daniel Shays: A founding father People everyday are not credited for things they did or helped do. A historical figure that is controversial over the idea that he should be credited for something is Daniel Shays. Daniel Shays should be credited as a founding father of the United States Constitution, not on the basis that he helped write the constitution, but on the idea that he caused the formation of the constitution to occur and his ideas were written into the constitution. Daniel Shays’ participated in wars early on in his life, but eventually settled in Pelham, Massachusetts, and owned about 250 acres of farmland. Continued financial difficulties from the war led Shays to sell over half the farmland, and later being sued for unpaid debts and had much difficulty in meeting his obligations. A prodigious amount of farmers in Massachusetts during this time were going through similar financial hardships; because of the Massachusetts legislature attempting to pay off its state’s war debts, they used hard taxation policies, causing situations to become worse. People petitioned for better relief and reforms but none came, the legislature in Massachusetts ignoring the fact that their citizens are petitioning and sending them resolutions to fix this problem. This led to the rebellion of the farmers against the government: Shays’ Rebellion. Shays’ Rebellion started in 1786, when thousands of farmers and men marched into courthouses and prevented them from continuing business.
In the book “Shays’ Rebellion: Authority and Distress in Post-revolutionary America”, Sean Condon shows us his outlook on how he saw post-revolutionary America to be within the late 1770’s and 1780’s. This book was released in 2015 by John Hopkins University Press, and was also made in a continuing book series by Peter Charles Hoffer and Willamjames Hull Hofer called Witness to History. The story takes us "Throughout the late summer and fall of 1786, farmers in central and western Massachusetts organized themselves into armed groups to protest against established authority and aggressive creditors. Calling themselves "regulators" or the "voice of the people.”” [1] Condon succeeds by prosing an appealing idea in an upfront style that shapes
The actions of the members of the Shay’s Rebellion were justified because state officials took their land, to pay their own debt. Shay’s Rebellion was a fight against government control. The country after the Revolutionary War was severely damaged especially in the trade market. The British cut off trades in the West Indies market crippling the economy. Due to the poor economy the farmers had difficulty selling their products and being able to pay the money requested to the government to pay off their war debts. This enabled the states to take the farmers’ land to pay the state's debts. Shay’s Rebellion, although dangerous the rebellion wanted to force the government to making their own money and create new policies in order to pay off the
Daniel Shay is a national criminal in the United States, and his crimes will not be taken lightly. When we catch him, he will be sentenced to prison, along with any other men who were on his side. In case you have not heard, Daniel Shay created a large uprising last year that is finally over now. We call it “Shay’s Rebellion,” but it is basically just one big protest that he and his farming community started.
People say that Patrick Henry should be considered one of the founding fathers because of one of his many great speeches to be more specific the speech he gave at the Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775. This speech is considered the most important speech he has given. After the speech events eventually took place that would lead to the American Revolution in this speech he used many rhetorical devices to win over his listeners
The Shays rebellion was a rebellion in which Daniel Shays and other men argued to the government that they felt that the Articles of Confederation was not protecting their unalienable rights ,and they didn’t receive the government's promise. This was an important event in history because it lead to The Constitution
This outraged lower class farmers as they relied on the sale and production of whiskey as a medium of trade as well as a form of income. Shays Rebellion erupted from high state taxes that were needed to pay off war debts accumulated from the Revolutionary War, as well as lack of paper money. These excessive taxes made it impossible for farmers, such a Daniel Shay, to pay for their homes and they were forced to resort back to to sustenance farming in order to have enough to survive. In some cases, farmers had to sell of their possessions in order to pay these levies until they had nothing left, or they had to face
In a letter to the public, Daniel Gray, the most affluent man in Pelham, wrote a series of grievances he and Shay's supporters had against the new government. Gray pointed out that “ The present expensive mode of collecting debts, which by the reason of the great scarcity of cash, will be necessity fill our gaols with unhappy debtors, and thereby render a reputable body of people incapable of being serviceable either to themselves or the community.” Daniel Gray’s first point was that of the inefficiency and the high taxation of the colonies following the war, and a huge national debt. This was in part because the act of
one thing, but attacking a courthouse is completely different. In the video, the economy in Massachusetts is going down and farmers are losing land and money. Daniel Shay thought this was very wrong and started a rebellion against the government taking their land. He gathered up farmers and trained them like an army; though at a cost of Shay’s sword he had sold. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “A little rebellion now and then, is a good thing.” I agree with what Jefferson wrote, but Shay’s rebellion wasn’t little; they were taking this idea too seriously. Shay and his rebellion attacked the courthouse at Massachusetts and ended up not being able to be imprisoned
In 1786, Shay’s Rebellion had sparked due to the national governments policies that resulted from the post-war economic depression. Again, the national government failed to handle the situation effectively due to its lack of abilities. Fortunately, a group of merchants from Massachusetts was able to raise an army to put down the
Fisher Ames was one of the great founding fathers who helped start the United States of America. Although citizens today may not hear or know much about him he is as much a part of the history of this nation as other more known men such as Thomas Jefferson. Ames was a good man who did not want conflict and enjoyed the simple things in life. This is seen in the following quote: “…in his distaste for publick diversions, and his preference of simple pleasures” (Ames 1809, page ix). All in all, fisher Ames had an interesting background, important views on Christianity and the Bible and how they relate to government, as well as equally important views on government in general.
There were many founding fathers of the constitution. Men who significantly impacted and shaped our government. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin are a few. However, we will focus on Benjamin Franklin because he contributed a great amount to our government. The Declaration of Independence, American Revolution, and the creation of the Constitution are his contributions to the government.
Similarly, in Shay’s Rebellion, Yeoman farmers in Massachusetts, according to Abigail Adams’ letter to Thomas Jefferson, “were crying out for a paper currency, some for an equal distribution of property” (Doc G). Shay’s Rebellion symbolizes the economic troubles that the poor had to deal with.
Shay’s rebellion was led by a man named Daniel Shay in 1787. This was an historic event that shaped history in its own way. This uprising began in Massachusetts in the year of 1786. Daniel shay was characterized and labeled as a rebel, traitor, and a coward. He was also considered a devoted nationalist and a decent military officer supporting America’s revolution. He dedicated over five years of his life in service of America`s government. He mobilized everyone who disagreed with his government’s actions during the time. Shay was able to lead a militia of over 2000 men. The militia was armed and willing and ready to burn down Boston. According to miller (71), Jefferson heard of the rebellion while in France but felt that it would not last long.
“I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing” (Jefferson). Thomas Jefferson wrote these words in a letter to James Madison after hearing about Shay’s Rebellion while he was a foreign diplomat in Paris. After the rebellion happened, the “Shaysites” as they were called, were labeled as traitors to their country and the democratic form of government. But were they really? Many of the men fighting in the rebellion felt that they were being oppressed just as they had been under British rule.
Shays' Rebellion was the first uprising of the new nation. The battles were fought in Massachusetts. During the time period of 1786-1787, The United States government decided to raise taxes, in order to raise capital and