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The Horrid Specter of Anarchy

Page history last edited by Mr. Hengsterman 3 years, 4 months ago

 

 

  The Horrid Specter of Anarchy – Shays’s Rebellion 1787
 Social tensions reached a fever pitch when debt-ridden farmers hoped to free themselves from the
demands of a merchant-dominated government and seize arms on a quest to

 

 

Image result for shays rebellion

 


 

 

Context: In 1786 an armed rebellion led by Daniel Shays occurred in the state of Massachusetts over high taxes. The federal government could not act since Congress could not establish an army unless the states provided the troops. 

 

 

Conflict: During the fall and winter of 1786, they marched on the debtors’ courts, forcing them to postpone business. To restore order, a group of merchants from eastern Massachusetts funded a militia to pursue the rebels.

 

 

In January 1787, Shay and his followers attempted to capture the weapons stored in a federal arsenal but were stopped by the militia, who opened fire. The rebels scattered but were pursued by the militia. Finally, in February, the resistance ended.

 

 

Consequence: The rebellion was finally put down by the Massachusetts militia but the incident proved how ineffective the Articles were in maintaining order and led to call to meet in Philadelphia to revise the Articles

 

 


 

 

Dates

Organization

Attendance

1781 to 1789

Articles of Confederation
Power to the states, decentralized gov’t

13

 

1785

Alexandria Convention
Virginia and Maryland agree to navigation rights on the Potomac 

2

1786

Annapolis Convention
Called to discuss problems with the Articles 8 states invited, 5 arrive. Economic problems need to be addressed at the national level(Hamilton)

 

The real significance of the Annapolis Convention lay in its decision to request another convention to discuss the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

 

5

 

Shays’s Rebellion (summer of 1786) adds the added incentive of fear to the invitation to revise the Articles of Confederation.

 

 

1787

Philadelphia Convention

Called to revise the Article

12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Bowdoin
2nd Governor of Massachusetts 
May 27, 1785 – May 30, 1787

 

During his two years in office poor economic conditions and harsh fiscal policy laid down by his government led to the uprising known as Shays' Rebellion. Bowdoin personally funded militia forces that were instrumental in putting down the uprising. His high-handed treatment of the rebels may have contributed to his loss of the 1787 election, in which the populist Hancock was returned to office.

 

Governor Hancock had, during his time in office, refused to vigorously act to collect delinquent taxes.  Bowdoin, seeking to make payments the state owed against the nation's foreign debt, raised taxes and stepped up collection of back taxes.

 

These actions, which were combined with a general post-war economic depression and a credit squeeze caused by a shortage of hard currency, wrought havoc throughout the rural parts of the state. Conventions organized in the rural parts of the state submitted letters of protest to the state legislature, which was dominated by Bowdoin and the conservative wholesale merchants of the coastal portions of the state

 

 

 

 

 

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"Shays's Rebellion." The portraits of Daniel Shays and Job Shattuck, leaders of the Massachusetts "Regulators," 

 

 

In the summer of 1786, only three years after the end of the Revolutionary War, Shays’ Rebellion began in Massachusetts. Merchants who had lent money to the Continental Congress to fund the Revolution began to call in their debts and insist upon payment in cash for future goods and services. The credit of the young United States was in jeopardy. With no authority under the Articles of Confederation to collect taxes or regulate trade, the federal government was forced to rely on the states to repay their own foreign debts and pay for their own portion of the enormous war debt. States raised taxes dramatically in order to meet their obligations. Meanwhile, farmers throughout the country, many of whom were Revolutionary War veterans who had never been paid fully for their services, were struggling with their own financial hardships in the depressed post-war economy. They did not have the cash to pay the taxes, but the state governments were unsympathetic. Debt collectors took people to court for their inability to pay their taxes. Many individuals lost their land and property, and many petitioned the government for debtor relief, which they did not receive. In August 1786, a group of 1,500 farmers in western Massachusetts, led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, began an uprising to protest what they believed were unfair land taxes and an unresponsive government. During the fall and winter, they marched on the debtors’ courts, forcing them to postpone business. To restore order, a group of merchants from eastern Massachusetts funded a militia to pursue the rebels. In January 1787, Shay and his followers attempted to capture the weapons stored in a federal arsenal but were stopped by the militia, who opened fire. The rebels scattered but were pursued by the militia. Finally, in February, the resistance ended. The militia had captured most of the men, although they were eventually pardoned, including Shays. In order for students to be successful with this performance assessment task, they must have a prior understanding of the colonists’ justifications for the American Revolution, the roles of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson as leaders of the Revolution, the provisions of the Articles of Confederation, and the challenges facing the young nation. In addition, it is critical that students firmly grasp the circumstances surrounding Shays’ Rebellion before moving onto the analysis of the primary sources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America - Shay's Rebellion (Summary Clips)

 

 


Omit Opportunity: American Rebellion Sparked by Touch times

 

 

 

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