Shays' Rebellion
1786-1787

Shays' Rebellion was named for its most famous leader, Daniel Shays (c.1747-1825), a Revolutionary War veteran who returned to a Massachusetts that was deep in an economic depression. Western Massachusetts, where he lived, was particularly hard-hit. In addition to the economic stresses, the region felt a deep distrust of the leadership in Boston, which seemed unconcerned with problems outside its immediate area. In the summer of 1786, a series of court actions designed to collect back taxes forced significant numbers of farmers into bankruptcy. Using the tools of the revolutionary era, including petitions and mob action, organized groups of veterans forced courts to close across the region from Connecticut to Vermont and New Hampshire and even to the outskirts of Boston. A consensus developed among the groups that a new government needed to be established. To build an army, they decided in January, 1787, to march on Springfield, Massachusetts, where the Continental Army's arsenal was located. A short skirmish resulted and the rebels were defeated and they dispersed. A state-raised army tracked down most of the Shays rebels during the winter of 1787. Daniel Shays himself escaped to Vermont. For many, the rebellion symbolized the fatal weakness of the national government. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was unable to raise a national army without unanimous consent of the states. It was not able to act in time to assist Massachusetts. This weakness helped spur the events of the summer of 1787, when the Constitutional Convention, meeting in Philadelphia, wrote a constitution that defined a stronger, more capable federal government.