Shays' Rebellion and the Early American Government

Vocabulary and key concepts regarding Shays' Rebellion, the Northwest Ordinance, and the formation of the U.S. Constitution.

Shays' Rebellion

A 1786 protest in Massachusetts led by poor farmers and war veterans angered by tax increases used to pay off state war debts.

Daniel Shays

A former Continental Army captain who led followers in 1786 to block court proceedings and eventually attempted to seize weapons from the federal arsenal in Springfield.

Articles of Confederation

The first government framework that established the United States as a "firm league of friendship" where each state retained sovereignty, freedom, and independence.

General Benjamin Lincoln

The General in command of a private army of over 4,000 militia members, funded by wealthy Boston merchants, that pursued Shays' men.

Disqualification Act of 1787

A law prohibiting former rebels from serving on juries, holding public office, voting, or working as schoolmasters for three years.

John Hancock

The newly-elected Governor of Massachusetts who granted pardons to many rebels in the summer of 1787.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

A law establishing procedures for territories in the Northwest to become states, which notably banned slavery in those territories.

Land Ordinance of 1785

A law used to divide and organize the Northwest Territory into townships, including setting aside one section in every township for public schools.

James Madison

A delegate known as the "Father of the Constitution" who argued that a nation made up of many groups needed a strong central government.

Rule of Secrecy

A policy adopted at the Constitutional Convention to allow delegates to speak freely without causing public alarm or opposition.

Great Compromise

The primary achievement at the Constitutional Convention that established how states would be represented in the legislative branch.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement determining how enslaved people would be counted when calculating a state's population.

Electoral College

A body created as a compromise during the Constitutional Convention to choose the nation's chief executive.

Hard currency

Payment in the form of gold and silver coins, which European lenders demanded after the Revolutionary War instead of paper money.

Republic

A country governed by elected representatives.

Shaysites

A derogatory name used by Federalists during the constitutional debates to refer to critics of the Constitution.

Independence Hall

The Philadelphia location, also known as the Pennsylvania State House, where the 1787 Constitutional Convention took place.

James Bowdoin

The Massachusetts Governor whose high taxes on farmers were linked to the business interests of his associates.

Samuel Adams

The legendary patriot who called for the execution of the farmers involved in Shays' Rebellion.

Henry Knox

The artillery commander who wrote to George Washington in 1786 warning of the danger posed by the rebellion.

$$5,000$$

The number of free adult males required for a territory to elect its own legislature under the Northwest Ordinance.

$$60,000$$

The total population requirement for a territory to apply for statehood under the Northwest Ordinance.

Writ of habeas corpus

A legal protection suspended by the Massachusetts legislature in late 1786 to assist in suppressing the insurgents.