Monday, April 1, 2019

Shay's Rebellion!

On this day in 1786, a popular uprising began in Massachusetts. Shays’ 
Rebellion was one of several critical events that led to the calling 
of a Constitutional Convention the following year in Philadelphia. 
Daniel Shays, a former Continental Army captain, led a group of upset 
western Massachusetts residents that clashed with the state government 
over the forgiveness of wartime debt and high taxes. In some cases, 
Army veterans who had never received pay for their service saw their 
property seized. 
On September 2, 1786, Massachusetts Governor James Bowdoin issued a 
proclamation recapping the scene on August 29, when Shays’ group 
arrived at the Court of Common Pleas in Northampton. 
“A large concourse of people, from several parts of that county, 
assembled at the Court-House…many of whom were armed with guns, 
swords, and other deadly weapons, and with drums beating and fifes 
playing, in contempt and open defiance of the authority of this 
Government, did, by their threats of violence and keeping possession 
of the Court-House until twelve o’clock on the night of the same day,” 
said Bowdoin. 
Bowdoin called on “all Judges, Justices, Sheriffs, Constables, and 
other officers, civil and military, within this Commonwealth, to 
prevent and suppress all such violent and riotous proceedings.” He 
also appealed to the residents of the Commonwealth to “aid and assist 
with their utmost efforts the aforesaid officers, and to unite in 
preventing and suppressing all such treasonable proceedings.” 
The protesters also seized several other local courts after the state 
government refused to consider debt-relief provisions. Shays then led 
a force of about 1,500 men in an attempted raid of the Springfield 
armory on January 26, 1787. The group was intercepted on the day 
before its planned attack; four protestors died in a brief conflict 
with the militia and the group dispersed. 
The tax protest showed the federal government, under the Articles of 
Confederation, couldn’t put down an internal rebellion. It had to rely 
on a state militia led by General Benjamin Lincoln and sponsored by 
private business people. With no money, the central government 
couldn't act to protect a “perpetual union” guaranteed by the 

1 comment:

TSE said...

The 3 Musketeeers?

Harry, Jan and the Great Unknown.......