Shays Rebellion

Shay’s Rebellion was the revolt of Western Massachusetts farmers against their state legislature because they felt they were being unequally represented. The intention of this paper is to analyze the problems that led to Shays’ Rebellion and to describe the casual relationship it had with the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Being able to help protect and support their personal lifestyles, which included their homes farms, and families was why Daniel Shays and other Western Massachusetts farmers started the rebellion. Farming was what the farmers relied on in order to live. Many farmers lost just about everything they owned because the Massachusetts legislature’s refused to create more paper currency, lower taxes, and judicial reform. Shays’ Rebellion prompted Americans to ask themselves just how strong their government was. Flaws were exposed in the Articles of Confederation, which helped create a new form of government thanks to the men who recognized those flaws.
The rebels involved in Shays’ Rebellion, including Shays who was a Captain under Washington, were veterans of the recent Revolutionary War. After putting in their service for the Continental Army and winning independence for America, the farmers were hoping to get back to their everyday life on the farm. However, the Revolutionary War left the United States with substantial debt as well as a devastating economic depression, leaving the farmers in trouble from the start. The Articles of Confederation did not give the federal government the right to tax; it could only request money from states. The Massachusetts government did not hesitate to impose such high taxes on the farmers. Conflicts quickly ensued between the farmers and the Massachusetts legislature. The legislature did not show respect or pity for the state’s farmers. Most of the legislators were wealthy merchants who only looked out for themselves and relied on the farmers for much of the state’s tax revenue. By having