The Significance of Shay’s Rebellion: US History
Shay’s Rebellion is a rebellion that started on August 29, 1978. It was an armed uprising which took place in the Western and central part of Massachusetts. The rebellion is named after the veteran and one of the rebel leaders called Daniel Shays (Browne, 2003). Several factors contributed to the start of this uprising. These include, a government which was fiscally harsh and had been instituted in 1785 the debt problems of the state, a credit squeeze which had been caused by the absence of hard currency and difficulties which were financial and related to the economic depression which was after the war.
The significance of the Shay’s Rebellion is that it was a war between rebels and the state government. The war was very well coordinated, bloody and organized. To begin with, some of the American Revolutionary War veterans were arrested. Consequently, protesters became radical to the state government. Therefore, they began to group and organize an armed force. However, their efforts were suddenly thwarted when a militia which was raised as a private army defeated the organizing rebels called the Shaysite. They were attempting to seize the Springfield Armory which was owned by the federal government in January of 1787. The result was four dead casualties and twenty wounded (Graham, 2006).
The significance of Shay’s Rebellion is that it took part in a charged political climate. The political class believed that the reforms which were specified in the country’s governing document known as the Articles of Confederation were of the utmost significance when it came to implementation. Most of the events of the uprising took place when the Philadelphia Convention had occurred. Apparently, the leaders of the war had begun calling for it way before it began in May 1787 (Graham, 2006). The only thing that prevented it from becoming full blown war by that time is because the government was unaware and the rebels had not gotten enough support yet.
The significance of Shay’s Rebellion is that it was also seen as the war between classes. New England, being in the western and central part of Massachusetts, was more of an agricultural economy where trade was more of barter. However, in the coastal areas of Massachusetts, the economy was dominated by merchants. It was a market economy (Browne, 2003). Thus, it is no surprise that these merchants were the ones that dominated the state government. Some of the main actors in the rebellion that advocated for class equality and credit availability for the poor include Henry Cox, Oliver Elseworth, David Szatmary and Louis-Guillaume.
The significance of Shay’s Rebellion is that at the end of it, there were a number of four thousand people who came out to sign an acknowledgement of participation in the rebellion events. Hundreds of participants were indicted and charged but eventually came out of prisons when they were pardoned under the general amnesty. The pardon however excluded the ringleaders. A number of eighteen individuals were sentenced to death. Nevertheless, they were later pardoned and had their sentences commuted. However, some of them were hanged. Good examples of those who were hanged are Charles Rose and John Bly. In conclusion, the war exposed the weaknesses of the federal government, thus the state decided to great a stronger government. In addition, the financial woes of the country were solved. People began to get credit and the government issued more hard currency into the economy.
Bibliography
Browne, Susan M. U.S. Soldiers and Veterans in War, Peace, and Politics During the Revolutionary War and State-Formation Period. Thesis (Ph. D.)--New School for Social Research, 2003, 2003.
Graham, Lorna, and Et Al. 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America. Volume 1 Volume 1. [New York]: History Channel, 2006.
