What caused Shays’ Rebellion?

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Shays’ Rebellion began in the summer of 1786 and lasted through the spring of 1787. It took place in the western part of Massachusetts, although similar circumstances and responses were to be found in all 13 states that formed the new country. Led by Daniel Shays, a farmhand who had served in the Continental Army and fought at Bunker Hill, Lexington and Saratoga, this was one of many local protests against government policy in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War. Those who fought in the revolution were bitter for several reasons. The memory of overthrowing British tyranny was fresh in their minds. One of their concerns was that the government of the new American country would follow in the footsteps of the old one. There was much to cause that concern.

The most significant problem was that the new nation was deeply in debt. This situation had been caused by the revolution against England just a few years. Foreign debt-holders wanted to be paid in silver or gold which was in short supply. The new government was printing money and thus causing inflation. Another problem contributing to Shays’ Rebellion and similar revolts was high taxation.

In order to pay off debts, the government had decided to raise taxes. This proved to be a counterproductive measure. Taxes were difficult for many and impossible for some, to pay. Higher taxes only increased the misery and did not solve the problem. Those who could pay their taxes were also deeply worried. Every new tax increase meant less money for investment in goods and services to improve their farms and businesses. When the economy stagnated, the tax base stagnated. Economics as a modern discipline began with Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations” published in 1776, Smith merely confirmed what Americans already knew about taxation. It was clear to people like Shays, just as it had been to the leadership in America 10 years before, that increased taxation was harmful to the country as a whole as well as to the individual.

Most of Shays’ followers were veterans of the Revolutionary War. They had left their farms, their businesses or their professions to fight tyranny which included the high taxation now being imposed on them. They had neglected their own interests, losing time and money in order to serve their new nation. They had been patriots because they wanted, in the words to be included in the Preamble of the Constitution to be written in 1787, “to secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Yet they had not even received the payment due them for their services in the Continental Army. It is hardly surprising that these men rose up and made their voices heard. To have sacrificed so much and to be robbed of their just wages and then to be excessively taxed was more than they could tolerate.

In addition there was corruption in the new government. The individuals who led the country were inexperienced in these critical positions. Mechanisms had not been put in place to deal with this problem, as well as many other problems now facing the country.

These men had been part of the successful Continental Army. They knew how to fight and were no longer afraid of rebellion. Foreclosures on the homes of patriotic veterans may have been the final impetus to rebel. The Revolution had prepared them to rebel against what they deemed a tyrannical government. The experience of the Revolutionary War, the spirit of the age and the extent of the hardships endured by Shays’ followers all led to Shays’ Rebellion.

Resource by Will

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