Difference between revisions of "Shays' Rebellion"
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| − | '''Shays' Rebellion''' was an uprising in western [[Massachusetts]] in 1786-87 led by former [[American Revolutionary War]] veteran [[Daniel Shays]]. It was in response to state taxes levied to pay off the state debt. Farmers protested the proceedings, threatened judges and closed the courts. There was talk of marching on Boston to plunder the state capital. Liberty seemed indeed to be degenerating into anarchy, as conservative historian [[Forrest McDonald]] has concluded.<ref> Forrest McDonald, "To Secure the Blessings of Liberty: The Making of the Consitution - the Infant American Nation Weathered Tremendous Obstacles in Order to Form a Constitutional Union." ''World and I''. Volume: 18. Issue: 2. February 2003. [ online edition]</ref> | + | '''Shays' Rebellion''' was an uprising in western [[Massachusetts]] in 1786-87 led by former [[American Revolutionary War]] veteran [[Daniel Shays]]. It was in response to state taxes levied to pay off the state debt. Farmers protested the proceedings, threatened judges and closed the courts. There was talk of marching on Boston to plunder the state capital. Liberty seemed indeed to be degenerating into anarchy, as conservative historian [[Forrest McDonald]] has concluded.<ref> Forrest McDonald, "To Secure the Blessings of Liberty: The Making of the Consitution - the Infant American Nation Weathered Tremendous Obstacles in Order to Form a Constitutional Union." ''World and I''. Volume: 18. Issue: 2. February 2003. [http://www.questia.com/read/5002514133?title=To%20Secure%20the%20Blessings%20of%20Liberty%3a%20The%20Making%20of%20the%20Consitution%20-%20the%20Infant%20American%20Nation%20Weathered%20Tremendous%20Obstacles%20in%20Order%20to%20Form%20a%20Constitutional%20Union online edition]</ref> |
No major political figure endorsed the rebellion. The governor of Massachusetts called out the militia, marched west, and the protesters disbanded without violence. The 1786 episode was the latest in a series of protests that began in 1782. | No major political figure endorsed the rebellion. The governor of Massachusetts called out the militia, marched west, and the protesters disbanded without violence. The 1786 episode was the latest in a series of protests that began in 1782. | ||
| − | Shays' Rebellion, was used as a warning by nationalists like [[Alexander Hamilton]] and [[George Washington]] to convince conservatives across the new nation that the [[Articles of Confederation]] set up a weak government that was insufficient to protect against left-wing rebellions like Shays The nationalists promoted the new Constitution which was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, taking effect in 1789. Hamilton solved the underlying problem by having the federal government take over the debts of all the states (which had been incurred to pay for the Revolution), then paying them off with revenues from the tariff on imported goods. | + | Shays' Rebellion, was used as a warning by nationalists like [[Alexander Hamilton]] and [[George Washington]] to convince conservatives across the new nation that the [[Articles of Confederation]] set up a weak government that was insufficient to protect against left-wing rebellions like Shays. Washington warned all his friends, commenting, "How melancholy that in so short a space [since the peace treaty of 1783], we should have made such large strides toward fulfilling the prediction of our transatlantic foe! 'Leave them to themselves, and their government will soon dissolve.'"<ref> Cited in McDonald (2003)</ref> The nationalists promoted the new Constitution which was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, taking effect in 1789. Hamilton solved the underlying problem by having the federal government take over the debts of all the states (which had been incurred to pay for the Revolution), then paying them off with revenues from the tariff on imported goods. |
Anti-tax activists and extreme libertarians like [[Murray Rothbard]] have praised the Shays rebellion, while conservative supporters of law and order and capitalism have condemned it. Leftist historians such as Szatmary (1980) have been sympathetic to the farmers as the victims of a newly emerging capitalism. Szatmary sees the farmers as traditionalists holing off the onslaught of financial capitalism which was enmeshing them deeper and deeper into debt to bankers in the cities. | Anti-tax activists and extreme libertarians like [[Murray Rothbard]] have praised the Shays rebellion, while conservative supporters of law and order and capitalism have condemned it. Leftist historians such as Szatmary (1980) have been sympathetic to the farmers as the victims of a newly emerging capitalism. Szatmary sees the farmers as traditionalists holing off the onslaught of financial capitalism which was enmeshing them deeper and deeper into debt to bankers in the cities. | ||
Revision as of 05:04, September 10, 2008
Shays' Rebellion was an uprising in western Massachusetts in 1786-87 led by former American Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays. It was in response to state taxes levied to pay off the state debt. Farmers protested the proceedings, threatened judges and closed the courts. There was talk of marching on Boston to plunder the state capital. Liberty seemed indeed to be degenerating into anarchy, as conservative historian Forrest McDonald has concluded.[1]
No major political figure endorsed the rebellion. The governor of Massachusetts called out the militia, marched west, and the protesters disbanded without violence. The 1786 episode was the latest in a series of protests that began in 1782.
Shays' Rebellion, was used as a warning by nationalists like Alexander Hamilton and George Washington to convince conservatives across the new nation that the Articles of Confederation set up a weak government that was insufficient to protect against left-wing rebellions like Shays. Washington warned all his friends, commenting, "How melancholy that in so short a space [since the peace treaty of 1783], we should have made such large strides toward fulfilling the prediction of our transatlantic foe! 'Leave them to themselves, and their government will soon dissolve.'"[2] The nationalists promoted the new Constitution which was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, taking effect in 1789. Hamilton solved the underlying problem by having the federal government take over the debts of all the states (which had been incurred to pay for the Revolution), then paying them off with revenues from the tariff on imported goods.
Anti-tax activists and extreme libertarians like Murray Rothbard have praised the Shays rebellion, while conservative supporters of law and order and capitalism have condemned it. Leftist historians such as Szatmary (1980) have been sympathetic to the farmers as the victims of a newly emerging capitalism. Szatmary sees the farmers as traditionalists holing off the onslaught of financial capitalism which was enmeshing them deeper and deeper into debt to bankers in the cities.
Bibliography
- Feer, Robert A. "Shays's Rebellion and the Constitution: A Study in Causation," New England Quarterly, Vol. 42, No. 3 (Sep., 1969), pp. 388-410 in JSTOR
- Priest, Claire. "Colonial Courts and Secured Credit: Early American Commercial Litigation and Shays' Rebellion," Yale Law Journal, Vol. 108, 1999 online edition
- Starkey, Marion L. A Little Rebellion (1955) popular history L. Starkey&dcontributors=Marion%20L.%20Starkey online edition
- Szatmary, David P. Shays' Rebellion: The Making of an Agrarian Insurrection. (1980), 184, liberal scholarly history online edition
- Taylor, Robert J. Western Massachusetts in the Revolution (1954), conservative scholarly history online edition
Primary sources
- "Documents Relating to the Shays Rebellion, 1787," The American Historical Review, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Jul., 1897), pp. 693-699 in JSTOR
- Hawley, Joseph. "Shays's Rebellion ," The American Historical Review, Vol. 36, No. 4 (Jul., 1931), pp. 776-778 in JSTOR, letter from eye witness
Notes
- ↑ Forrest McDonald, "To Secure the Blessings of Liberty: The Making of the Consitution - the Infant American Nation Weathered Tremendous Obstacles in Order to Form a Constitutional Union." World and I. Volume: 18. Issue: 2. February 2003. online edition
- ↑ Cited in McDonald (2003)
