Name: ____________________________________
Period: ____ Handout # ______ SHAYS REBELLION Daniel Shays was a farmer who left his land in Massachusetts to fight against the British in the Revolutionary War. When he returned home after the war, times were hard. Farmers could no longer sell their goods to the British, so they didn’t have much money coming in. To raise money to pay for war debt, the state government of Massachusetts raised taxes. Rising taxes on the poor farmers was hard enough, but if a farmer couldn’t afford to pay the taxes, his land was seized and he was imprisoned. In August 1786, Daniel Shays organized an armed rebellion of farmers to protest these economic problems. The group blocked access to court buildings, which prevented the trial and imprisonment of debtors. In January of 1787, Shays led 1200 rebels to capture a federal store of weapons. The rebels also harassed leading merchants, lawyers, and supporters of the state government. State armed forces quickly suppressed the uprising and most of the rebels surrendered. But this rebellion did not go unnoticed. During the chaos of the rebellion, more states realized how important it was to have a strong national government. The uprising highlighted the fact that the debt­ridden states were unstable. Some landowners feared that dissatisfied citizens would rebel against other state governments. In February 1787, this concern helped persuade Congress to authorize a meeting of the states in Philadelphia “for the sole purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.” Representatives from 12 states agreed to attend. QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER 1.​
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Why did the state of Massachusetts raise taxes after the Revolutionary War? _____________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 2.​
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Why would farmers have difficulty paying the taxes to the Massachusetts legislature? _________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 3.​
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What was the main cause of Shays Rebellion? _______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 4.​
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How did Daniel Shays and his armed rebellion of farmers decide to protest the economic problems that they faced? ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 5.​
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How did Shay’s Rebellion demonstrate the weakness of the Articles of Confederation? _________________ ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ 6.​
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What did Shays Rebellion ultimately lead to? _________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________