Why was shays rebellion important

The rebellion set the stage for George Washington 's return to political life and highlighted weaknesses inherent within the Articles of Confederation. Following the Revolutionary War, merchants in Europe and America felt a need to rein in the enormous debts they were owed, refusing further loans while also demanding payment in cash for any future goods and services. This demand for hard-currency caused a chain reaction, eventually placing the average American borrower under unrealistic schedules of payment given the small amount of cash in circulation.

As rural farmers began to lose land and property to debt collectors, hostile sentiments boiled over, especially among those owed payment for military service. In September , Henry Lee wrote to Washington that the restlessness was "not confined to one state or to one part of a state," but rather affected "the whole. Protests in western Massachusetts grew more tumultuous in August after the convening of the state legislature failed to address any of the numerous petitions it had received concerning debt relief.

Daniel Shays quickly rose among the ranks of the dissidents, having participated in the protest at Northampton courthouse in late August. Shays' followers called themselves "Regulators," in reference to a reform movement in North Carolina that occurred two decades earlier. Most importantly, it showed just how weak the federal government was under the Articles of Confederation.

Individual states were not obliged to follow orders from the federal government which led to a weak central authority. Foreign nations in many cases had to sign trade agreements with each state and Congress had difficulties even having representatives show up in person to govern and vote on key issues. Though this rebellion was thwarted, protection against future rebellions was not guaranteed. With help from the Federalist Papers , the constitutional convention would directly lead to the new Constitution that greatly enhanced the powers of the federal government.

Just because the United States had formally separated from Great Britain and formed its own nation, the nation was hardly unified on all issues. Wealthy vs poor, strong federal government vs strong state governments, urban vs rural, and pro-British vs pro-French relations were all major dividing issues of the time, among others.

Many of these divisions still remain in the modern United States and have their roots from the beginning of this nation.

To learn more about US history, check out this timeline of the history of the United States. JSTOR , www. Email address:. Skip to content. Like what you see? Subscribe to Posts! Share this: Twitter Facebook. But other actions began to take place.

In Northampton, Captain Joseph Hines led several hundred men to block judges from entering the courthouse. They were joined by a contingent from Amherst and several hundred more men from elsewhere. In Worcester, judges were blocked from holding court by crowds of hundreds of armed men. When the militia was called in, those men refused to answer, and many joined the crowd around the courthouse.

Daniel Shays, for whom the rebellion was eventually named, was a farmer in Pelham and an ex-soldier who fought at Bunker Hill and other significant Revolution battles.

Shays became involved with the insurgents sometime in the summer of and had taken part in the Northampton action. He was offered a leadership position in August but refused. Soon, however, Shays was leading a sizable group and the eastern elite claimed he was the leader of the entire rebellion and potential dictator.

But Shays was only one leader in the rebellion. In September, Shays led a group of men to shut down the court in Springfield. Determined to use peaceful means, he negotiated with General William Shepard for the court to open while allowing protesters to parade. A concerned Henry Knox, an artillery commander during the Revolutionary war and the future first U. Secretary of War, wrote to George Washington in to warn him about the rebels:. Their creed is that that the property of the United States has been protected from the confiscations of Britain by the joint exertions of all, and therefore ought to be the common property of all…Our government must be braced, changed, or altered to secure our lives and property.

We imagined that the mildness of our government and the virtue of the people were so correspondent, that we were not as other nations requiring brutal force to support the laws—But we find that we are men, actual men, possessing all the turbulent passions belonging to that animal and that we must have a government proper and adequate for him. The insurgents found support in unexpected places. Chief Justice William Whiting of the Berkshire County Court was a wealthy conservative who publicly spoke out in favor of the rebellion, accusing the wealthy state legislatures of making money off the impoverished farmers and claiming the farmers were obligated to disrupt government in response.

Legendary patriot Samuel Adams , however, called for the execution of the rebellious farmers. The Massachusetts legislature offered leniency and flexibility to those with tax burdens. Amnesty was also offered to the rebels if they disavowed the efforts to close the courts. The farmers were expected to take oaths of allegiance to the state government. However, a bill was passed excusing sheriffs from responsibility if they killed any insurgents and declaring harsh punishments for rebels in custody.

Soon after, the legislature suspended the writ of habeas corpus for a period of time. Another bill prescribed the death penalty for militiamen who took part in the protests. The band of farmers, some of whom were carrying only sticks, fled immediately. Contemporary engraving depicting Daniel Shays and Job Shattuck. Insurgent leaders including Shays fled north to Vermont, still an independent republic at the time.

The legislature pardoned thousands of rank-and-file Regulators as long as they paid a fine, surrendered their weapons and took an oath of loyalty to the states. Two rebel leaders were hanged for treason, but Shays came out of hiding in Vermont after his eventual pardon in Lincoln lost his race for lieutenant governor. The newly elected legislature cut taxes and placed a moratorium on debts, helping to alleviate the economic crisis. Although plans for a Constitutional Convention were already under way, the uprising in Massachusetts led to further calls for a stronger national government and influenced the ensuing debate in Philadelphia that led to the drafting of the U.

Constitution in the summer of According to Edward J.