American History

The problems faced by war veterans were as follows 1) nonpayment of debts, 2) heavy taxation instituted by the government, and 3) imprisonment for nonpayment of debts. After the Revolutionary War, many of the veterans left the army unpaid and criminally charged for nonpayment of debts. Many of these war veterans were poor farmers, conscripted in the Continental Army at the start of the Revolution. To pay war investors, the government instituted different forms of taxes. Some taxes required citizens to pay in gold and silver. The war veterans had nothing to spare but their farms and houses. The government imprudently confiscated a number of properties. The war veterans sought debt relief through the issuance of paper currency and lower taxes. However, the state courts refused to hear their case. The state legislature ignored their case while the Supreme Judicial Court of the state even indicted eleven leaders of the movement (rebellion charges)

At first, the war veterans hesitated to use force. In fact, the veterans modeled their tactics after the crowd activities of the 1760s and 1770s, using liberty poles and liberty trees to symbolize their cause. However, the government remained unsympathetic to the cause of the farmers. Daniel Shay formed armed militias tasked to close down local courts (to prevent the enforcement of debt collections). Actual fighting erupted after Governor James Bowdoin send a militia force commanded by Gen. Benjamin Lincoln. The rebels were eventually dispersed and about 1000 individuals arrested.

There was mass hysteria in almost every state. In Massachusetts, there was a perception of total chaos. In order states, farmers feared for unwarranted confiscations of the government. Washington and other leaders of the Revolution asked Governor Bowdoin to be impartial in dealing with the rebellion (to avoid spreading in other states).

The rebellion convinced a group of prominent statesmen that the national government needed to be stronger in order to create uniform economic policies and protect property owners from infringement. Note that during the time of the rebellion the Articles of Confederation was enforced (promoted a weak national government). At the Philadelphia Convention, a provision was approved which seeks to establish a central federal government.