How did many Americans react to Shay's Rebellion?
1 Answer
There are many reactions to Shays' rebellion, but overall it convinced the political leaders of the colonies that the Articles of Confederation required some revision.
Explanation:
Shays' rebellion is the name give to a series of rebellions in 1786-1787 about taxation in the colonies. Farmers were hit hard by taxes and couldn't afford to pay them, leading them to rebel against the political leaders in their respective states. A leader of the rebellion in Massachusetts was Daniel Shays, a former captain in the continental army.
It took a lot of time to stop the rebellions because there was no strong central government or standing army to send out and quell the rebellion. This weakness was due to the system of government at the time, the Articles of Confederation.
Shays rebellion showed the political leaders of the states that the Articles was not an effective system and needed revision. So, they got together to revise it. However, many (federalists) wanted to scrap the Articles altogether and create a new Constitution. This gathering is now known as the Constitutional Convention.
