Reasons For Shay's Rebellion

The economic problems that led to Shay’s rebellion began with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which ended the revolutionary war and recognized America’s independence. America’s independence came with some unforeseen complications, since America was no longer a British colony they were cut out of many British markets including the Caribbean. Also many American merchants were in debt to British creditors and the creditors demanded cash payments with short deadlines and harsh punishments. This in turn caused American merchants to demand their money back from businesses who were in debt to them. These businesses then called for farmers and smaller businesses to pay back their debts. In addition to having to pay back their mounting debt farmers also had to pay taxes that were being raised by

Daniel Shays was a former officer in the Continental Army (Schultz, 2009). After the war, the economy took a turn for the worse, especially the farmers. The farmers’ income had fallen dramatically due and they were at risk of losing their farms, as well as going to jail for failure to pay their debts. In Massachusetts, a tax increase caused additional worries for the farmers. Some small towns in Massachusetts pleaded with the assembly regarding the taxes and lawsuits. However, their request were declined resulting in protests from the people which resulted in Shays Rebellion. He led a group of 1200 male protestors to the federal arsenal anticipating seizing control and cause the government to address the debt issues.

Shays’ Rebellion was a series of protests after the Revolutionary War, meant to help the poor farmers in the states. Individual states had debts, it wasn’t only the country in debt, and new taxing policies such as duties on imported goods added increased financial burden on citizens. Farmers were at risk of losing their farms, which were the only way they could make money in the first place. Shays wanted reforms to take place, in the form of tax help, paper money to assist in paying debts, and the removal of debtor’s prison. His followers prevented authorities from collecting taxes that were due, stopped them from collecting property and selling it, and held up the courts to prevent work being done. Even though they were defeated when they attempted to take weapons from Springfield, their acts were a wake up call to politicians. It reinforced the need for a new form of federal government, and eventually ended up getting at least some help to the people the protesters

They wanted their payments. It came to a point where farmers were losing their property and being jailed over these debts. This led to Shay’s rebellion, where protesters attempted to shut down the courts to prevent hearings for tax and debt collection. It was named after Daniel Shays of Massachusetts who was the symbolic leader of the rebellion. They attempted to capture a federal arsenal at Springfield.

The actions of Shay’s Rebellion did not go too far. Many farmers in Western Massachusetts were previously soldiers in the Continental Army. These farmers were now being met with unfair demands from Massachusetts merchants. When they could not live up to the demands, their land and possessions were taken and they could be thrown in jail. Many farmers such as Daniel Shay were previous members on the Continental Army, in which they received little pay for their contributions.

In one of his letters to George Washington he writes, “... Our affairs seem to lead to some crisis,some revolution” (Doc G). Shays Rebellion was one of the major events that helped the government realized that they needed to come up with a new constitution. Through Shays rebellion, it was revealed that the government lacked the power of leadership. It took about two years for the rebellion to end, this helped further the idea of a new constitution. With a lack of a strong central leadership, it was hard to pass any sort of amendment among the states, including the ratification of the constitution.

In the video titled, “Top 3 Sobriety Tests – number,” the officer pulled over a female that appeared to be driving erratically. As the officer noticed the female, she was swerving her vehicle and crossing into one lane into the next without having any regard for other traffic nor the officer which was trying to make a stop of her vehicle. When the female finally pulled over to the right making a stop, the officer approached her front passenger door in which he asked the female a few questions about her consuming alcohol before the vehicle starting rolling backwards towards the officer parked patrol vehicle. After the officer made several verbal attempts to get the female driver to put her vehicle into park, she finally done so after the officer pointed out that her vehicle was still not in park. The officer then attempted to get the female’s driver’s license and insurance and, she provided them to the officer. The officer then asked the female drive to exit the vehicle. The officer attempted to speak to the driver as he was persisting that she perform a toe to heal walk and, the driver then attempted to tie her shoe in which she done after a few seconds of swaying back and forth. When the female driver tied her shoe, she attempted to stand back up and failed to do so for, the driver fell to the

There were multiple reasons that people decided to rebel against the government during. One cause of the rebellion was because debt collectors were trying to collect money that the people did not have. The money taken from the people was causing people to not be able to care for himself or herself or put money back to the community. Another reason for the rebellion was that they believe the money raised was going to the government for personal interest instead of going to the debt they owe to other countries. The next reason was that Habeas Corpus was suspended. Habeas Corpus was put in place to bring people accused of wrongdoing before a judge as a way give legal rights to the people. The suspension of Habeas Corpus caused what the people believed was “unjust punishment.” (Gray) The final reason for their rebellion was that Justices of the Peace, including Sheriffs and Deputies, were given unlimited power, which was used as a way to get revenge and show hatred. (Gray) Shay’s rebellion did open the eyes of many Politicians and they had worked the replace the constitution after. During this Rebellion, “the people engaged in civil disobedience, violence against the tax collectors and threatened to secede tram the new republic.” (The Whiskey

Essentially, the government could not pay for itself. This weakness was exposed during Shay’s Rebellion, which was part of protests that took place in 1786 and 1787. The man leading the charge on January 25, 1787 was named Daniel Shays. John Cashon described him as such.

Therefore, on January 25, 1787, Daniel Shays led the rebels “Regulators” to an arsenal in Springfield to seize all military weapon and, from there, head to Boston. However, they were surprised and met with General Lincoln and his militia, raised as a private army, approaching from the east. The army fired warning shots followed by artillery fire, killing four of the insurgents and wounding twenty. The rebels quickly scattered into the countryside, and the rebellion was essentially

“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.

Taxes. No one likes them, but taxes are something that everybody has to pay. This statement was very true for colonial America. One of the biggest factors resulting in America revolting against the British was the various taxes Britain levied on the Americans. After the American Revolution, taxes were not able to be enacted until the Articles of Confederation were eliminated and the US Constitution was established. The Constitution allowed Congress to levy their first tax on domestic goods, which was on distilled beverages. This tax proved to be the ultimate test for the growing America, and would begin the Whiskey Rebellion.

In states where debtors could not secure relief through politics, they sometimes took arms to defend their homes against what they deemed to be cruel and heartless creditors and an indifferent judicial system. One of these rebellions was Shay's Rebellion, which took place in Western Massachusetts. However, it was not limited to only Massachusetts. Soon outbreaks of violence ranged from Vermont to Virginia. In the winter of 1787 Shay's Rebellion was put down, but its lessons and its warnings lingered in the thoughts of many people. This demonstrated to many Americans the urgent need for a sound, strong government.

I am writing you today as a young woman concerning the lack of attention towards the violence against women in retrospect to the Native American population. The fear of being a victim of assault as a young women is prominent within the society in which we live today. However, there is some relief in the fact that there are resources available at my disposal if I was to experience assault. Yet, there is a large portion of women that do not have that reassurance, and the likelihood of them experiencing assault is even greater than my own. This portion of the women population is Native American women. I will admit that the severity of the issue in concerns with the native population is something that I just recently became aware of. et I have

There were many rebellions in the United States history, some peaceful and some violent. Shays' Rebellion in 1786 and the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 are examples of two brutal rebellions that led to death of many innocent people. Rebellions can develop due to many conditions including unfair laws, unfair treatment, and a disagreement over a sensitive topic. The Shays' Rebellion showed the Articles of Confederation was too weak, while the Whiskey Rebellion proved the Constitution to be a strong framework of government.