Shays' Rebellion 6/15/25

Shays’ Rebellion

1786 revolt led by Daniel Shays and farmers over economic hardships

Farmer Struggles

Farmers were in debt, had no income, and couldn’t sell goods

Trade Cutoff

Britain ended trade with the West Indies, hurting American farmers

Debt and Prison

Some states jailed farmers who couldn’t pay their debts

Who Was Daniel Shays

A farmer and war veteran who led 1,000 farmers in protest

What They Did

Tried to take weapons from a federal arsenal in Massachusetts

Government Response

The federal government couldn’t help; state militia stopped the rebellion

Impact on the Nation

Showed the Articles of Confederation were too weak

Why It Mattered

Exposed flaws in the government and pushed leaders to make changes

Result

Helped lead to the writing of the U.S. Constitution