Zachary M.

Strickland
American History Before 1877
Elton Weintz
9-27-16
Shays Rebellion
You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
-The Beatles Revolution
October 2nd 1783. General George Washington rides his horse to the barracks of Rockhill,

New Jersey. The sounds of adoring fans and thunderous applause accompanies his arrival. They

are applauding because the Treaty of Paris of 1973 had been signed with England, officially

ending the long and hard fought Revolutionary War. While not yet President, Washington is the

closest thing to royalty the colonists have at this time, and he is considered by the populace to be

the father of his country.

When Washingtons horse stops its steady gallop and comes to a halt, the crowd goes

silent. The 53-year-old Washing reaches into his pocket and proceeds to deliver a speech. He

speaks with pride about how he and his countrymen though lacking the resources and training of

a conventional militia, had nonetheless come together and defeated the British, the most

powerful military force on earth at this time. He speaks of brotherhood, and the men in the crowd

are inspired at his words. Washington the proceeds to announce his retirement and ride off into

the sunsetover Mount Vernon, Virginia. He thinks he is ready for the quiet life, but he is

mistaken.

Washingtons words of brotherhood and men of different walks of life coming together

were indeed inspiring, but sharply contrasted with the realities of the country.
 Post-Revolutionary America was anything but united. It was on the verge of civil war.

Seven years of war had cost the American people thousands of young men, it was economically

depressed, and the government trying to hold it together was very weak.

The Articles of Confederation was less of a government document, and more of a friendly

agreement between colonies. Under the Articles, the central government could not collect taxes

or raise a strong army. The colonial militia did exist, but it consisted of separate colonial armies

which the central government could request. It was not a cohesive unit. This is an important

thing to distinguish. The most significant thing this government could do was run the post office.

Juxtaposed to Washington was another man, Samuel Adams. Adams is said to have been

responsible for setting off the Revolutionary War, because he organized events such as the

Boston Tea Party, and the Stamp Act Riots. The latter of which would give way to the Boston

Massacre. During the war he served as the Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress,

but he found this boring. Instigators often make poor delegators, and Adams was most definitely

an instigator. Ironically, it was Adams who made it a point to say that the colonies should do

justice to one another rather than threaten each other. Even more ironically, he spoke out

specifically against uprisings foreign AND DOMESTIC. Unlike Washington, Adamss

retirement to Boston lacked fanfare and was rather unceremonious.

Washington and Adams were men nearing their sixties, they had seen enough war, and

wanted to retire in peace. Daniel Shays was a younger man at age 36. Shays was not ready to

retire, but after doing his part as an officer at Breeds Hill, Lexington, Ticonderoga, and

Saratoga, was ready to return to his life as a farmer in western Massachusetts. Shays also had a

little bit more war left in him. Some men are born to fight, and given his rise from Private to

Captain coupled with his ability to survive some of the most brutal battles the Revolutionary war
had to offer, I would say that Shays was such a man. The Marquis de Lafayette of France agreed,

and presented shays with a sword.

Prior to the war Shays was an impoverished farmhand. He would eventually meet and

marry Abigail Gilbert and the couple would save up enough money to purchase a small

farmstead. When the war came, Daniel exchanged his plow for a musket and bayonet. He wanted

to bring prestige and prosperity to his namesake. However, after the war, the money that Shays

was paid for his service depreciated very quickly.

Shays, and other men in similar situations had been promised 20 pounds sterling for the

service, and it was paid. The problem was that the do to inflation the pound had about 1/10th of

the value it had held when they signed up. In other words, Shays and his kinfolk made about 2

bucks for their sacrifice. Some of these men used the money as wallpaper in the homes, because

they got more utility out it that way.

So while Washington and Adams were men of prestige and wealth, Shays represented a

class of impoverished farmers and other impoverished veterans. However, what Shays had in

common with Washington and Adams was charisma. The people in his town appointed him to

their committee of safety. His job being to protect the town. I think he took this job very

seriously.

You take away a mans dignity when he cant work his fields and cows.
- John Mellencamp Rain on the Scarecrow
At the start of the war these farmers had taken out loans so that they could plant more

crops. They did this because they knew that food would be in demand for the war effort.

However, when the war ended the economy dived, and they could not afford to pay back their
debts. They had three options; sell all their property to pay off the debt, have their property

seized by force, or go to prison.

A lot of the time they werent even given the option. It got to the point that 80% of the

people in prison at the time were there simply because they had been sent there by the wealthy

class they owed money too. Many men lost their freedoms and died horrible deaths in these

prisons. This situation weighs heavily on Shays and he realizes that this is a threat he needs to

defend his people from.

He gathers everyone together at the local watering hole, Conkys Tavern, and gets up on a

stool to describe whats happening. Somebody yells from the crowd Yeah but what can we do

about it? Shays explains to the crowd that if they can shut down the courts, these debt collectors

wont be able to put people in prison anymore or carry out the seizing of property.

Shays and his sympathizers did attempt non-violent means of protest They sent

documents and petitions to the political elite, but the elite looked upon them as peasants. The

elite did not feel that people like Shays were worth paying attention to, and so these non-violent

means were ignored. The day came where Shays took out his old warn out cutlass, (he had sold

the one from the Marquis to pay the heavy taxes of the time) went to the grindstone and started

sharpening.
 I'm inciting riots, so let's start the looting
And whoever cross the walls I guess we'll just got to shoot them
Cause in this revolution I loathe my enemy
I'm agnostic plus I got no identity
So lovers of life don't keep your hopes up high (WHY?)
Cause it's just a matter of time before it's your turn to die
But until then, when you stop breathing
It's time to stand up and fight for what you believe in!!!!!
-Onyx Two Wrongs
Shays Rebellion began with the Shaysites riding around Massachuesettes and shutting

down courts. While this was going on Sam Adams came out of retirement and worked to pass

laws like The Militia Act, which sentenced anybody who was a Shaysite, or involved with

similar groups and activity to hang. The Riot Act which said that if a group of twelve or more

people got together and spoke against the government they could be imprisoned. Additionaly

they suspended habeas corpus which gave them a lot of power to arrest people for nearly any

reason.

It is said that at the gates of hell it reads abandon all hope ye who enter here. They

preferred swift death by rope with a chance at freedom to slow agonizing rotting in a prison cell

with no hope, so Shays and his ilk were undeterred by these acts and laws.

As the tension in Boston became more intense, a former militia general by the name of

Henry Knox was writing letters to the retired George Washington. It was Knox who eventually

coaxed Washington out of retirement. Washington was deeply troubled by news of rebellion and

the possibilities of war between the states. He did not want to see the country he fathered fall
apart so quickly. He saw the need for a stronger government and wanted to be a part of creating

it. He also wrote to Boston and specifically to Samuel Adams.

Washington told Adams that he should listen to the grievances of the impoverished

Bostonians, and attempt to quell their rebellion through peaceful means. However, Adams was

very stubborn and frankly a bit shady. Adams instead sent a mercenary army of 300 men to round

up the rebels. For the most part this army took people into custody with very little violence, but

there was an instance where one man was injured in a skirmish. The injury was minor but the

press took the story and greatly exaggerated what happened; more fuel on the fire.

The elite class in Boston, anticipating a rebel offensive, requested men from the federal

government in Philadelphia, but again the federal government was too weak to assist. It had no

money and no men. Thus Bostons wealthiest pooled money and bought a militia consisting of

4,400 men to fight against the rebels. This standing army scared and radicalized the Shaysites

even more, and they resolved to overthrow the government.

January 25th 1787 Shays and his army of around 1,000 disenfranchised farmers and

former Revolutionary War veterans surround the federal arsenal outside Springfield,

Massachusetts. Standing across from them to protect the arsenal are roughly 900 colonial militia

troops. Phase one of the plan is to seize the weapons and ammunition stored in the reserve. Phase

two is to take those weapons and ammunition and march upon Boston to overthrow the

government.

Shays on horseback rides with furious determination toward militia captain Samuel

Buffington. Buffington and Shays had fought together during the Revolutionary War. The events

to unfold next would forever change the course of American history.

 Shays having planned a three-pronged attack on the arsenal takes out his pistol and orders

his men to attack. Buffington orders his men to open fire. What Daniel Shays did not know is

that 2 of his prongs would not be arriving. The men leading those divisions of Shayshites had

written him requesting additional time to prepare, but that messages had been intercepted by the

mercenary army. Realizing that reinforcements are not coming, Shays men scatter after the first

volley of cannons. Thus the rebellion ends in failure or does it?

Shays men are eventually captured, thus bringing the rebellion to a and end. However, it

is noted by many of the elite that he probably would have succeeded had the three pronged attack

been better coordinated. Though Shays Rebellion ends in failure, only 3 Shayshites are ever

hanged. The statement they made by even launching such an attack serves opens the eyes of the

nation and it is understood that its government is both weak, and easily corrupted. Henry Knox

brings Washington out of retirement. Washington goes on to be an instrumental part in doing

away with the Articles of Confederation and ultimately creating what would come to be the

United States Constitution, and the first President of the United States of America.

Daniel Shays goes on to form a small farming community with some of the other men

who participated in his rebellion. He is pardoned from punishment under the conditions that he

swear allegiance to the new government, and surrenders his right to vote, teach, and or own a

tavern for 3 years. He buys up 12 acres of land and builds the life he wanted for his family.

Lastly, he writes the United States government seeking a pension. He finally gets the 20 dollars

he was originally promised. Overall, I like to think justice was served. I just wish it hadnt taken

so long. Shays would die one year after receiving his pension. Oh and Samuel Adams goes on to

carve out a controversial political career, but thats another essay.

 When America fought against Britain in the Revolutionary War they did so with the spirit

that they were fighting against Tyranny. They felt they were underrepresented, by a Parliament

separated by an ocean. They felt that they were unfairly taxed. They felt wronged, and when they

tried to air their grievances they felt ignored.

Shays men felt that the state of Massachusetts was unfairly imprisoning men, seizing

their property, and condemning them to life in prison. Shays men felt that there was no way that

the elite, uber-wealthy class of merchants, lawyers, and politicians in eastern Massachusetts

could possible represent there walk of life; impoverished lower-class farmers, and I assume that

in their minds there might as well have been an ocean separating western and eastern

Massachusetts. The state government was in debt just the way that the British government had

been in debt after the French-Indian War, and like the British had done with the Sugar and Stamp

Acts, Massachusetts had created heavy taxes on this already desperate group of people. When the

Shayshites and other groups tried to be heard non-violently their state governments ignored them

just like the British had ignored colonial grievances. In short the farmers of western

Massachusetts were experiencing a particularly sickening feeling of dj vu.

In my opinion the biggest role that Shays Rebellion played in the collapse of the Articles

of Confederation was by exposing just how weak that government was. A band of poor farmers

very nearly overthrew a state, because that state didnt have a strong military arm to call on.

Massachusetts was a large and important colony at this time. If it got overthrown by an

improvised rebel army then other similar rebel armies could overthrow their governments, and

chaos would have spread throughout the colonies.

Shays rebellion had two lasting impacts on the constitution. It demonstrated that in order

to survive, the states would have to have a unified fighting force that could be called on to
defend itself against threats foreign and domestic. It also demonstrated that Americans would

fight, and fight hard against things they perceived as tyrannical, inhumane, and unfair. This is

why one of the first things that happened with the Constitution was the drafting of the Bill of

Rights. By guaranteeing inalienable rights to the people, the country safeguarded itself against

becoming tyrannical, and this safeguarded itself against domestic unrest until the civil war, but

again thats another essay.

Article 4 Section 4 of the Constitution states The United States shall guarantee to every
state in this union a republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against
invasion; and on application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot
be convened) against domestic violence.
In modern terms this means that each of our 50 states is allowed to have its own sub-

government elected by its people. The governments during Shays time were not necessarily

elected by the people because the country was young and there was no system for the people to

elect officials. It goes on to say that it will protect that government against invasion and domestic

violence. This was included without a doubt in direct respects to Shays Rebellion, as again, the

state of Massachusetts had no real means of defending itself. In fact this whole section was in

direct response to Shays rebellion we could call it the Shays section of article four and it would

be quite fitting.

The cops are still twisted,

the laws are still fucked

The rich are still greedy,

governments still corrupt

-Body Count Pop Bubble

 Why do we care about Shays Revolution? What does it have to do with todays United

States of America? The one thing that I think most Americans would agree with is that we still

arent represented by people who give a genuine damn about us.

What do you or I have in common with Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton? Shays men

were poor, and they knew that the political elite in Boston looked at them at worst as disposable,

and at best as sources of tax revenue. I dont think that has changed. I am pretty sure that if I was

in a room with Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, they would be doing their best to get out of

that room and as far away from me as possible.

Does the government still imprison us for being unable to pay our debts? No, they will

not come to your house and capture you and throw you in jail. They will however, turn off your

heat, lights, and water if you cant pay the utility bill. Someone will seize your property and your

home if you cant pay your car loan or mortgage.

No they dont throw you in jail, but you might wind up freezing, you might be eating out

of dumpster, and your family might be freezing and starving next to you. Ive been to that prison.

Ive also been a correctional officer. I believe that the life of an inmate is more pleasant than the

life of a homeless man. Not that I desire either.

Wait a minute though, you can still go to prison for being poor. Maybe you grow up in

the inner city, and youre the son of a single mother, and you live in the projects. Maybe the only

source of success you see in your neighborhood is the local drug dealer. Maybe youre hungry

and that dealer tells you to if you sell some drugs he will put cash in your hand. If you get caught

in possession, you go to jail. If they think you have a gun, they might just shoot you on the spot.

This wasnt something I experienced personally, but it absolutely does happen.

 Do our governements still ignore our grievances? Well, unarmed people are still shot

dead by our police, and I dont remember public opinion being in favor of any of our current

military activity, and you cant show a me a person who ever challenged a speeding ticket and

won.

By now you probably get the idea that I believe our government is very much still

corrupt. The problems are two-fold; it has become sneakier in how it oppresses us, and we lack

any way to meaningfully rebel against it. If you think Im crazy consider for a moment that

enemy forces used to stop war to celebrate Christmas, and then think about how many Americans

are forced to work Christmas day in the year 2016. Thats one very tame example, but its in

these subtle ways that our people are still mistreated by greedy, manipulative, blood suckers.

I digress at this point, because I do not wish to turn this into a rant paper, but the point I

mean to make is that impoverished people have always been treated despicably in this country.

Our rulers have always been people who we have very little in common with. We have all paid

taxes we didnt want to pay. Have you ever made a life decision at the gas pump? I have.

Back in 1787, Daniel Shays rebelled against his government. His rebellion resulted in

that government taking a good hard look at how it was treating its people, and the changes that

came about from it influenced the greatest document in our nations history. Yet, a man like

Daniel Shays in todays world would be labeled a radical for suggesting a rebellion, and

domestic terrorist for carrying one out.

If in 2016, a man believes his government is corrupt, how does he get the attention of that

government? I dont have all the answers, but I know how it starts. The American People would

first have to become independent of the government for support, like the colonists became

independent of the British before our revolution. Then we would have to stop voting. If we
stopped voting, we could make the argument that we were no longer being represented by

elected officials. Then we could go back to no taxation without representation and refuse to

pay taxes. I think this would send a very firm message to Washington D.C.

However, Daniel Shays only had to convince about 1,000 men to join his cause. To pull

off a modern revolution would require something like a viral political youtuber. Somebody who

could have a radical idea like I proposed and convince an entire nation to join the cause. I dont

think such a man or woman exists, and even if it did, what if the government response was to use

its ridiculously powerful federal military to gain compliance? After all that was a BIG reason the

Articles of Confederation were replaced-to allow the federal government to raise a military that

could prevent uprisings foreign and domestic.

Is a modern Shays Rebellion, or any kind of meaningful rebellion even possible

anymore? I dont think that it is, which means that our government really doesnt have to answer

to its people anymore. We have no means to put tyranny in check. Our presidential candidates are

Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, and the American public isnt choosing the candidate that will

represent them. They are choosing the candidate they think will be least tyrannical.

When the Revolution come I'm gonna be up front

With my finga on the trigga of a Mossburgh Pump

When the Revolution come I'm gonna be right there

With my nine in my hand and braids in my hair

-Coolio The Revolution