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Essay / Shays' Rebellion and the Articles of Confederation
Shays' Rebellion is not generally considered to have a central role in the course of American history and how we got to where we are we are today, but in more ways than one, she changed America forever. . The rebellion began with a group of poor and disaffected farmers, but grew into massive protests with thousands of men, which led to the proclamation of the Articles of Confederation and the framing of the Constitution. After the Revolutionary War ended in the 1780s, many soldiers had to turn to farming as a source of income to live on and received no compensation from the government for fighting in the war. Additionally, after the war, the government was forced to raise taxes higher than they had ever been to account for the debt resulting from the war. Unable to earn much money from farming, farmers began to fall into debt. Authorities in Boston began arresting farmers and seizing their farms because they were unable to pay their taxes. Many families found themselves without providers. Daniel Shays, also a Revolutionary War veteran, saw many poor farmers like himself sent to rot in debtors' prison, and he knew that would soon be his fate. Shays began meeting with his supporters and discussing self-government and rebellion, and after a while a large group of farmers protested the state government. These meetings were called county conventions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayThe first attempt to resolve their problems peacefully came to nothing. During the summer of 1786, conventions were held to determine a list of demands to send to Boston. The document included a proposed reforms and grievances for Boston to adopt. The demands were sent, but instead of being recognized, poor farmers were ignored by the state government and taxes continued to raise funds to pay off the debt. A legendary patriot, Samuel Adams, who was now a state senator from Boston, called for an end to county conventions. He called them useless, but the irony was that the actions of the county conventions were just like his rebellion against the British in the 1770s. Now that Shays had tried to obtain justice legally, they had to take matters into their own hands. . In 1786, Shays began training an army, composed primarily of veterans of the revolution. On September 29, 1786, in Springfield, Massachusetts, rebels marched on the courts with muskets and clubs. Shays had his men load their muskets and charge toward the courthouse to close the courts. As long as the courts were closed, debtor farmers could not be sent to prison. The rebel army closed the courts in North Hampton, Concord and Worcester. As news of the attacks reached Boston, Samuel Adams, who also called the county conventions useless, declared that the leaders of the rebellion should be arrested and hanged. Boston told the MIlitia Act that if you were in the militia you could be sent to your death and if 12 people got together for a negative purpose they would be punished. This was the breaking point for the Shayzites and his army, and the rebellion continued to escalate. Even former President George Washington sent a letter to the government saying that if the rebels have.