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Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising that took place in central and western Massachusetts in 1786 and 1787. The rebellion was named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and one of the rebel leaders.
The rebellion started on August 29, 1786. It was precipitated by several factors: financial difficulties brought about by a post-war economic depression, a credit squeeze caused by a lack of hard currency, and fiscally harsh government policies instituted in 1785 to solve the state's debt problems…..At a meeting convened by aggrieved commoners, a farmer, Plough Jogger, encapsulated the situation….. "I have been greatly abused, have been obliged to do more than my part in the war, been loaded with class rates, town rates, province rates, Continental rates and all rates ... been pulled and hauled by sheriffs, constables and collectors, and had my cattle sold for less than they were worth ... 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."
Governor James Bowdoin instituted a heavy tax burden and stepped up collection of back taxes.
Overlaid upon these financial issues was the fact that veterans of the war had not received much pay during the war and were having difficulty collecting back pay owed them from the state or the Congress of the Confederation. Some of these soldiers, Daniel Shays among them, began to organize protests against the oppressive economic conditions. Shays was a poor farmhand from Massachusetts when the Revolution broke out. He joined the Continental Army, saw action at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, and Saratoga, and was eventually wounded in action. In 1780, he resigned from the army unpaid and went home to find himself in court for the nonpayment of debts. He soon found that he was not alone in being unable to pay his debts and began organizing for debt relief…..
Follow the link to Wikipedia for the many links in the article.
There is a much expaned view of Shay's Rebellion Here that is worth reading. Make sure to scroll all the way down.
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