Copy this graphic organizer on
the bottom half of NB p. 37.
What?
Who?
When?
Shays’
Rebellion
How?
Where?
Why?
Lesson 8.1b:
Shays’
Rebellion
Today we will
explain the
connection between
the weaknesses in
the Articles of
Confederation and
Shays’ Rebellion.
Vocabulary
• levy – to establish and collect a
tax or a fee
• strength – something you are
good at
• weakness – something you don’t
do well
• debt – something owed, usually
money
Check for Understanding
• What are going to do today?
• What is one of your strengths?
• What vocabulary word describes
something you owe to someone else?
• What vocabulary word describes the
act of establishing or collecting a tax?
What We Already Know
When Britain
threatened the
rights of the
colonists, farmers
and merchants at
Lexington and
Concord rose up
in arms against
what they saw as
injustice.
What We Already Know
With independence came the opportunity
and responsibility to create an effective
government.
What We Already Know
The first American
government was
intentionally made
weak by a people
that had fought a
desperate war for
freedom against a
powerful and
abusive
government.
Strengths of the Articles of
Confederation
One strength of
the Articles was
that they left
important powers
to the states.
The Confederation Congress was too
weak to solve the nation’s problems.
What was the greatest weakness
of the Articles of Confederation?
• Be ready
A to justify your answer.
• Use whiteboards
for responses
B
C
D
Weaknesses of the Articles
• Aside from its handling of
land issues, the
Confederation Congress
had few successes.
• By the end of the
Revolutionary War, the
United States faced
serious problems, and the
Confederation Congress
did not have enough
power to solve them.
Weaknesses of the Articles
• Debt was a critical
problem for the
government.
• Congress had borrowed
large sums to pay for
the Revolutionary War.
• Much of that money
was owed to soldiers of
its own army.
Weaknesses of the Articles
• Upset at not being paid,
several hundred soldiers
surrounded the Pennsylvania
State House where Congress
was meeting in June 1783.
• The soldiers threatened the
legislators, thrusting their
bayonets through the windows.
• The delegates were forced to
flee the city.
• The event was a clear sign of
Congress’s weakness.
Weaknesses of the Articles
• Even if Congress wanted to pay the soldiers,
it did not have the power to levy taxes under
the Articles of Confederation.
• The national government
depended on the states to
send money to Congress.
• But the states sent very
little money.
Weaknesses of the Articles
• Congress was not
alone in facing
economic crises.
• People throughout the
nation faced hard
times.
• In Massachusetts, the
economy was so bad
that people rose up in
arms against the
government.
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
8. What were the strengths of the
Articles of Confederation?
A. They empowered Congress to make
treaties.
B. They empowered Congress to enforce laws.
C. They empowered Congress to levy and
collect taxes and regulate trade.
D. They left important powers to the states.
E. They created a powerful chief executive to
run the government.
Choose all that are true!
8. What were the weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation?
A. Congress had no power to enforce laws,
collect taxes, or regulate trade.
B. They withheld important powers from the
states.
C. They lacked a chief executive to run the
government.
D. They contained a limited bill of rights.
E. They were difficult for the states to amend.
Choose all that are true!
The government’s weakness
led to violence.
• In Massachusetts, farmers who could not pay
their tax debts lost their land and were jailed.
• In 1787, when the state legislature refused to
provide relief from their debts, about 1500
farmers rebelled.
The government’s weakness
led to violence.
This rebellion was led
by a revolutionary war
veteran named Daniel
Shays.
The government’s weakness
led to violence.
Shays’ rebels often invaded court rooms to
prevent judges from ruling against debtors.
The government’s weakness
led to violence.
In January 1787,
Shays and his
men marched on
a federal arsenal,
a place to store
weapons.
The government’s weakness
led to violence.
The arsenal
was defended
by 900 militia
soldiers from
Massachusetts.
The government’s weakness
led to violence.
• The militia defeated them, killing four
protesters.
• Although the protesters were defeated,
they won the sympathy of many Americans.
The government’s weakness
led to violence.
• America’s leaders realized that an armed uprising
of common farmers spelled danger for the nation.
• Some leaders hoped that the nation’s ills could be
solved by strengthening the national government.
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
Why was the Confederation
Congress not able to pay the
soldiers who fought during the
Revolutionary War?
A. It still owed too much money to
France and Spain.
B. The Constitution prohibited cash
payments to the military.
C. The government was bankrupt after
buying Louisiana from France.
D. It did not have the power to levy taxes.
9. What caused
Shays’
Rebellion?
A. A slave rebellion in
North Carolina
B. Seizure of land from
Massachusetts farmers
who couldn’t pay their
debts
C. Government failure to
provide Kentucky
settlers with protection
from Indian attacks
D. Rebellious Continental
soldiers who hadn't
been paid for their
service