History has proved that democracy can make a positive impact on the wellbeing of the people. The Shay Rebellion in 1786 is a great example of democracy being exercised by the citizens to turn a hardship into an opportunity for a better and just life. After the Revolutionary War, farmers who had fought in the war received insufficient compensation leading to an economic struggle to afford food and pay off debt for goods previously obtained. However, the government demanded these debts to be paid by imposing irrational policies making it impossible for farmers to comply. These circumstances lead to the Shay Rebellion headed by farmers that sought a just way to pay for their debts instead of being charged high taxes, suffer arrests or have their farms foreclosed. Consequently, this event creates the path for the creation of the Constitution of the United Stated of America. These farmers fought for the right to a better life and the freedom to live justly but they were setting the corner stones for a government for the people, a democracy.
The 1780s brought about one of the most intense crises in rural Massachusetts. Individuals had settled in the western and central areas of this area fairly recently with farmers suffering under high debts as they sought to develop new farms. While the Massachusetts government had previously responded with pro-debtor laws such as printing extra paper money and forgiving debt, it did not react similarly to this economic crisis. This marked a major shift from majority of state legislatures passed in the 1780s. The results of this crisis were farmers defaulting on their debts, where local sheriffs started seizing individuals’ farms. A number of farmers were put in prison for failure to pay their debts.
Rising tension amid these unfavorable conditions resulted in the first large armed rebellion after the United States had undergone a revolution. The conditions were similar to those exhibited during the revolutionary war, where Americans were against paying high taxes. Eerily similar, the government was far away and unresponsive to the farmers’ plight (Hanson, 2021).. Luke was previously a military officer serving during the American revolution and was convicted of high treason for his involvement in Shays’ Rebellion. However, while he was sentenced to death, be was pardoned by the governor, John Hancock. It is important to note that individuals referred to Luke as the insurrection’s ‘Master Spirit’ and would have likely assumed the leadership position were it not for his overzealous nature (Rothbard, 2021). Luke had numerous experience in war, serving as a lieutenant and subsequently
However, unlike the first war that had seen American settlers go against the British government located across the Atlantic, the 1780s rebellion resulted from the republican government based in Boston failing to respond to the pleas of the settlers in Massachusetts.
It is important to note that the Massachusetts farmers structured their resistance in a manner mirrored on the American Revolution (Hanson, 2021). In this instance, they held special meetings that hosted all people where they could protest about the government laws that were hindering their progress. They would also develop plans for a coordinated protest. Subsequently, the rebels decided to forcefully close courts in 1786 and liberate those farmers imprisoned for failure to pay debts. It did not take long for these actions to turn into a fully-fledged revolt when Daniel Shays assumed the leadership position (Rothbard, 2021). As a former captain enlisted in the Continental Army, he would provide valuable insight into the machinations of war. Shays’ rebellion is a grim reminder of an example of extreme action taken due to economic crisis. Various scholars often label the rebels heroes due to their adoption of American Revolution traditions. In contrast some scholars term them as dangerous rebels that could have potentially toppled a young government, exterminating the republican government experiment.
Shays’ rebellion had various characteristics of a military group intent on seizing control of the government. Individuals such as Luke Day Jr, a farmer were inculcated in the rebels’ leadership (Rothbard, 2021). While the Massachusetts government had previously responded with pro-debtor laws such as printing extra paper money and forgiving debt, it did not react similarly to this economic crisis. This marked a major shift from majority of state legislatures passed in the 1780s. The results of this crisis were farmers defaulting on their debts, where local sheriffs started seizing individuals’ farms. A number of farmers were put in prison for failure to pay their debts. Luke was previously a military officer serving during the American revolution and was convicted of high treason for his involvement in Shays’ Rebellion. However, while he was sentenced to death, be was pardoned by the governor, John Hancock. It is important to note that individuals referred to Luke as the insurrection’s ‘Master Spirit’ and would have likely assumed the leadership position were it not for his overzealous nature (Rothbard, 2021). Luke had numerous experience in war, serving as a lieutenant and subsequently
References
Hanson, S. D. (2021). Shays rebellion and our Constitution. The Founding Project. Web.
Rothbard, M. N. (2021). Shays’s Rebellion: Catalyst for the counterrevolution: Murray N. Rothbard. Mises Institute.