Although not many people know of Shay’s Rebellion it was a defining moment in early American history. The small, fragile country had just come out of war and was struggling to pay its debts. They also had agreed that the states would have more power than the federal government so that there would never be a chance of tyranny. With this government style, many states decided on different ways of raising the money they needed. The way that the Massachusetts government decided to handle it was to continually raise taxes on farmland. However, the farmers couldn’t keep up and most started to lose their land or end up in jail. The over taxation of the Massachusetts farmland robbed the farmers not only of their land but also of their livelihood. …show more content…
Governor James Bowdoin appealed for congress to help but since they had little power, and they too were bankrupt, they hardly had anything to offer. The state of Virginia finally stepped up and offered many troops. With the Virginia troops and the small Massachusetts militia, a 4,400 person army was formed in order to take down the 1,312 group of Shaysites. With an infuriated James Bowdoin, and General Benjamin Lincoln on the frontlines, the odds were not looking good for the Shaysites. In fact, James Bowdoin was so upset that he suspended Habeas Corpus, however, that did not stop the Shaysites from protesting and shutting down courthouses. It seemed like every time Bowdoin would do something to try to prevent a skirmish, or have someone such as Samuel Adams speak to the Shaysites and try to get them to surrender, they become more and more angry, and determined to get back their land. Their cause was so appealing that “ominously many members of the militia broke ranks and also joined the insurgency” (Winik p 221). Eventually little skirmishes weren’t enough and the Shaysites decided they need to step it up. Their new goal was to take over the federal arsenal at Springfield which held fifteen thousand muskets and many cannons. They would then decide where to go. However, both sides would soon face many
This Rebellion was so significant because it was the first time in the American Colonies that the Frontiersmen joined in something as bold as this. It also became a very significant rebellion because it hastened
The unpredictable failure of the Articles of Confederation to the continental congress was a huge problem. The Articles of Confederation was made so the states would have more power, And limit the powers of the national government. Main contributors for this action was the fear that the national government will gain too much power and overstep its authority.This would have a negative effect on the nation, because tensions will start to rise for the ineffectiveness of this new system of government. A Rebellion best known as Shays rebellion, took place shortly after The adoption of the Articles of Confederation. The states, in which shays rebellion has taken place, were becoming unjust/unfair the way in which the state collected taxes. Since the Articles of Confederation was a complete failure
The Shays Rebellion were series of protests in 1786 and 1787 by American farmers. However, protests began before Shays Rebellion, the Massachusetts protest convention, circa of 1780 is a prime example of this, “...The great men are going to get all we have and I think it is time for us to rise and put a stop to it, and have no more courts, nor sheriffs, nor collectors nor lawyers....”.(B) Many farmers in this area suffered from high debt as they tried to start new farms. Unlike many other state legislatures in the 1780s, the Massachusetts government didn't respond to the economic crisis . As a result local sheriffs seized many farms and some farmers who couldn't pay their debts were put in prison.These conditions led to the first major armed rebellion in the post-Revolutionary United States called Shays Rebellion. Anti-Federalist were primality poor uneducated farmers. An exception of a the poor Anti Federalist stereotype is George Mason, whom is a huge political influence of the Bill of Rights, exploits his ideology in his Virginia Bill of Rights “That
Comparing the Western Rebellion and Kett's Rebellion in Terms of Causes and Threat The year 1549 in which both rebellions took place was a troublesome year for the Lord Protector, at the time, Somerset. It was plagued with bad harvests, inflation, poverty and war. These factors made 1549 a watershed year for rioting and rebellion. Though these are the only two rebellions that posed a serious threat, they were definitely not unique.
Evaluate the relative importance of the following as factors prompting Americans to rebel in 1776:
Daniel Shays’ was a hero for many reasons although many of the things he did would cause him not be considered a hero. They don’t include all of the good things that he had done for him and all of the poor farmers that were getting sent to debtor's prison. Daniel shays stud up for the poor and he took a stand against a poor government. He also showed the weakness of the The Articles of Confederation “that a loser wrote”(Mr.James words) .Another reason is that Daniel Shays’ is a hero is because that he was awarded a sword for his bravery on the battlefield.That is a couple reasons Daniel Shays’ is a hero.
The Extent to Which Tudor Rebellions Have Similar Causes Tudor rebellions were caused by one or more of the following factors: dynastic, political, religious, and social and economic. There was an element of both similarity and continuity in the period as most of the rebellions were politically motivated starting with Warbeck’s rebellion in 1491 until the end of the period with Essex’s rebellion in 1601. This displays clear political motives across the period. During the reign of Henry VII, many of the rebellions were dynastically motivated with a series of challenges from pretenders to the throne, Simnel and Warbeck and rebellions due to heavy taxation; Yorkshire and Cornish anti tax riots. However, by the reign of Elizabeth, religion became a factor for rebellions particularly at the turning point of 1532; the Reformation.
The Stono Rebellion and Bacon’s Rebellion both thoroughly demonstrated the determination of the American people in the British colonies. Despite the brutal treatment that slaves received and the inadequate policies for protecting the farmers of Virginia, both groups of people rose up in distinguished acts of defiance. These revolutionaries both had the goal to make a point to the British government that they are to be feared and not trampled upon. The Virginian farmers did not accept the policies of William Berkley and instead of living under his power, they rose up to fight
Shay's Rebellion was the first armed uprising of the new nation. It was caused by the absence of debt relief legislation in Massachusetts. When the Revolution ended, merchants and creditors lobbied for high taxes and against paper money. They were successful. These procreditor polices underminded farmers' finances. The legislation, including foreclosure laws, were extremely taxing to farmers and caused many to go into great debt. Many farmers were dragged to court where they faced high legal fees and threats of imprisonment because of their debt. In 1786, farmers in Massachusetts attended extralegal meetings where they protested against high taxes and aggressive eastern creditors. Bands of angry farmers joined together to close law courts with force and freed debtors and fellow protesters from jail. Resistance to the legislation climbed to a full-scale revolt. John Adams, president at the time, answered with the Riot Act, which outlawed illegal assemblies. The rebellion was suppressed by military force. The rebellion prompted leaders with national perspective to redouble their efforts and create a stronger central government.
Evaluate the relative importance of two of the following as factors prompting Americans to rebel in 1776.
In the book Whiskey Rebellion: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and the Frontier Rebels Who Challenged America’s Newfound Sovereignty by William Hogeland. The author doesn’t just talk about what started the Whiskey Rebellion and what happened during this period. But he wanted to show you the underlining of this Rebellion as it was one of the major parts of the founding period. Also that there are lot of characters that we don’t learn about, he realizes that people don’t really know about the Whiskey Rebellion. That is wasn’t just a couple of “blackened faced, dress wearing” (Hogeland 20) people. He wanted the general people to understand what the Whiskey Rebellion really was the establishment of federal authority.
“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”.1 This poor economy affected almost everyone in New England especially the farmers. For years these farmers, or yeomen as they were commonly called, had been used to growing just enough for what they needed and grew little in surplus. As one farmer explained “ My farm provides me and my family with a good living. Nothing we wear, eat, or drink was purchased, because my farm provides it all.”2 The only problem with this way of life is that with no surplus there was no way to make enough money to pay excessive debts. For example, since farmer possessed little money the merchants offered the articles they needed on short-term credit and accepted any surplus farm goods on a seasonal basis for payment. However if the farmer experienced a poor crop, shopkeepers usually extended credit and thereby tied the farmer to their businesses on a yearly basis.3 During a credit crisis, the gradual disintegration of the traditional culture became more apparent. During hard times, merchants in need of ready cash withdrew credit from their yeomen customers and called for the repayment of loans in hard cash. Such demands showed the growing power of the commercial elite.4 As one could imagine this brought much social and economic unrest to the farmers of New England. Many of the farmers in debt were dragged into court and in many cases they were put into debtors prison. Many decided to take action: The farmers waited for the legal due process as long as them could. The Legislature, also know as the General Court, took little action to address the farmers complaints. 5 “So without waiting for General Court to come back into session to work on grievances as requested, the People took matters into their own hands.”6 This is when the idea for the Rebellion is decided upon and the need for a leader was eminent.
Slaughter I finally understand the meaning of the rebellion. Even though it was just briefly mention in our history book America, Past and Present Vol 1- by Divine, Robert A. in about half a page about the people from western Pennsylvanians protested the tax on Whiskey in in 1794 basically the end of the rebellion. (170) This revolution is way more than that, it created a precedent for future generations that when the people is not okay with laws created by government they can come together and protest against it. A few years later we see that this was the case on the civil war were the south was not happy with the government abolition of slavery and they came together an acted against the president and the federal government. In my case I am a true believer that we must learn from the past to be able to enjoy a better
Most people have heard of The Boston tea party. When American patriots dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded the British ships in the Boston harbor and dumped all of the tea into the ocean. But what most people fail to realize is the great importance behind this protest. To fully understand a topic of history one must first acknowledge the actions behind it. The French and Indian war, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Revenue Act, as well as the Tea Act are all important catalysts of the legendary Boston tea party. Which is why we will discuss these topics before examining the events of the Boston tea party.
The elite opted to prevent rebellions which voiced the opinions of disregarded members of society such as women, slaves, indentured servants, and men who didn't own land, by intervening and taking them into their own hands because they wanted to preserve their power. In 1780, Shay's rebellion, led by Daniel Shay, a veteran of the Battle of Bunker Hill, allowed farmers who were unable to pay their mortgage, to speak out. Creating chaos amongst the peaceful streets of Springfield, armed farmers were stopped by state militia. Shay's rebellion led way to the Philadelphia Convention in which fifty-five men representing twelve states congregated on 1787, in proposal of drafting a new constitution. Through the occurrence of the American Revolution, they were aware of the power that their people were able to execute and wanted to stabilize the government by creating a new Constitution....