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Shays’ Rebellion Facts & Worksheets

Shays' Rebellion was a series of violent strikes in Massachusetts that began in 1786 until 1787. The rebels were largely Revolutionary War veterans-turned-farmers opposed to official economic policies that caused poverty and foreclosures.

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Shays’ Rebellion was a series of violent strikes on Massachusetts courthouses and other government assets that began in 1786 and culminated in a full-fledged military clash in 1787. The rebels were largely ex-Revolutionary War soldiers who became farmers in opposition to official economic policies that caused poverty and foreclosures. The revolt comes after Daniel Shays, a farmer soldier who fought at Bunker Hill and was one of the uprising’s leaders.

See the fact file below for more information on Shays’ Rebellion or alternatively you can download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Facts & Information

Background

  • During the American Revolutionary War, rural New England’s economy was mainly subsistence agriculture, notably in central and western Massachusetts towns. Some individuals in these communities had few assets other than their property, so they bartered for goods and services.
  • Farmers who participated in the American Revolutionary War received little compensation, and many were struggling to make ends meet by the 1780s.
  • Companies in Boston and elsewhere required immediate payment for products purchased on credit and frequently paid off through barter. There’s no paper money in circulation and no gold or silver to which the farmers could turn to satisfy their debts.
  • At the same time, expectations arose that Massachusetts taxpayers pay more significant taxes to the British than they had previously born to the British to ensure that Governor James Bowdoin’s business associates had a satisfactory return on their investments.
  • Boston officials began arresting and foreclosing on the farmers’ lands with no way to transfer their harvests and earn money to pay off debts and taxes.

The Rebellion Begins

  • Farmers initially tried to settle their disputes peacefully. Farmers in western Massachusetts began taking direct action against the debtors’ court in August 1786.
  • Committees of town leaders developed a statement of grievances and radical changes for the Boston legislature to examine.
  • Other measures, however, began to take place. Captain Joseph Hines led several hundred soldiers in Northampton to prevent judges from entering the courthouse. Amherst contingent and several hundred more soldiers from other towns joined them.
  • Crowds of hundreds of armed men prevented judges from holding court in Worcester and summoned militia. The men refused to respond, and many joined the mob outside the courthouse.

Daniel Shay

  • Daniel Shays, the rebellion’s eventual name, was a farmer in Pelham and a former soldier who fought at Bunker Hill and other pivotal Revolutionary War engagements.
  • Shays joined the insurgents during the summer of 1786 and participated in the Northampton battle. In August, he declined the given leadership role.
  • However, Shays soon found himself in command of a sizable force, and the eastern elite believed he was the commander of the entire insurgency and a possible tyrant. But Shays was merely one of the rebellion’s leaders.
  • Shays led a mob of 600 men to shut down the Springfield court in September. Determined to utilize nonviolent methods, he arranged with General William Shepard for the court to open while demonstrators were allowed to parade. The court has to close when no more jurors are available.
  • A worried Henry Knox, a Revolutionary War artillery officer, and potential first U.S. In 1786, Secretary of War wrote to George Washington to alert him of the rebels.

“[T]hen they witness the Government’s weakness, they feel their poverty compared to the affluent, and their might and resolve to employ the latter to rectify the former.” They argue that because the property of the United States was saved from British capture by the combined efforts of everyone, it should be the common property of all. Our government must be strengthened, reformed, or amended to protect our lives and property.

We imagined that because of our government’s mildness and the people’s virtue, we would not require brutal force to enforce the laws as other nations do. But we discover that we are men, actual men, with all the turbulent passions that animal possesses, and that we must have a government proper and adequate for him.”

Shays’ Rebellion Escalates

  • The militants received assistance from unexpected sources. Berkshire Country Court Chief Justice William Whiting was a wealthy conservative who publicly supported the revolt, accusing the wealthy state legislature of profiting from the impoverished farmers and stating the farmers to compelling disrupt the government in reaction.
  • However, legendary patriot Samuel Adams advocated for the farmers’ death.
  • The Massachusetts legislature provided relief and flexibility to taxpayers. They promised amnesty to rebels if they renounced their efforts to shut the courts. Farmers were supposed to pledge allegiance to the state administration.
  • However, a statute that absolved sheriffs of duty if they killed any insurgents and imposed heavy penalties on rebels in jail was approved.
  • Shortly after, the legislature temporarily halted the writ of habeas corpus.
  • Another law called for the execution of militias who participated in the protests.
  • On December 1786, a military attacked a farmer and his family in Groton, detaining and injuring the farmer, exacerbating the insurgency.
  • Governor Bowdoin recruited his army in January 1787, privately supported by Boston businesses. Four thousand four hundred troops put down the insurgency under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln.

Attack on Springfield Arsenal

  • Shays and other commanders planned an attack on the federal arsenal in Springfield to get guns. On the snowy morning of January 25, 1787, 1,200 soldiers marched to the arsenal. Some of the guys held rifles, while others brought clubs and pitchforks.
  • General Shepard had expected the attack and was waiting for it at the arsenal, and Shepard felt the militants intended to destabilize the government. Meanwhile, soldiers led by General Lincoln marched from Worcester to Springfield to give further protection.
  • Two other rebel groups traveled to join Shays. Luke Day, who had ridden to Quebec with Benedict Arnold in 1775, would lead a 400-man uprising from the north. Eli Parsons would command 600 Berkshires soldiers.
  • Shots have been fired at Shays and his men as they neared the armory. The initial two bullets were warning shots above their heads, but further gunfire killed two rebels and injured 20 more. The rest of the group withdrew to Chicopee, as they sent a message and requested Shepard to bury the deceased.
  • Lincoln sent troops across the Connecticut River to thwart Day’s progress. Shays and his soldiers took refuge at Petersham, and Lincoln pursued them, scattering them. Shays and his wife took refuge in Vermont.

The Aftermath of Shays’ Rebellion

  • Attempts to restart the Vermont revolt with Revolutionary War commander Ethan Allen were futile. Allen discreetly sheltered former insurgents in Vermont before publicly condemning them.
  • The Boston legislature established the Disqualification Act for three years, which barred rebels from sitting on juries, holding public office, voting, or working as schoolmasters, innkeepers, or liquor dealers.
  • Newly-elected Governor John Hancock had pardoned several rebels by the summer of 1787. The new legislature suspended debts and reduced taxes, relieving the economic strain that the rebels were battling to bear. Several insurgents marched to the gallows before their release and executed two people for burglary.
  • The following year, Shays was pardoned. He temporarily returned to Pelham before relocating to Sparta, New York, where his tale made him a renowned tourist attraction. In 1825 he passed away and was buried in an unmarked cemetery.
  • The Daniel Shays Highway in western Massachusetts, a portion of U.S. Route 202 established in 1935 that goes through Pelham, honors Shays.

Significance of Shays’ Rebellion

  • The Articles of Confederation governed the newly established United States at the time of Shays’ Rebellion. Many in the country thought this constitution was too weak to rule the nascent nation adequately.
  • The shadow of Shays’ Rebellion influenced the discussion over the formation of a new United States. The constitution provided fodder for Alexander Hamilton and other Federalists who argued for a robust federal government and reduced state liberties.
  • The insurrection heightened further, and their arguments persuaded George Washington enough to come out of retirement to participate in the Constitutional Convention that chose him as the first President of the United States. 
  • In Federalist assaults on constitutional detractors, they frequently referenced Shays’ name and dubbed them “Shaysites.”
  • Once the Massachusetts Ratifying Convention convened, numerous towns that had backed the revolt sent representatives who had taken part in it. Only seven of the 97 “Shaysite” towns that sent delegates voted to support the constitution.

Shays’ Rebellion Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Shays’ Rebellion Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about Shays’ Rebellion which was a yearlong uprising in Massachusetts, in 1786, by the poorer members of society (particularly the rural population) who did not agree with the new terms imposed on them by the state government.

Download includes the following worksheets:

  • Shays’ Rebellion Facts
  • Daniel Shays
  • Rebellion
  • True or False
  • Timeline
  • Shaysites
  • Riot Act
  • Acrostic
  • Rich vs Poor
  • Word Power
  • Battle Cry

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is Shays’ Rebellion?

Shays’ Rebellion was a series of violent strikes on Massachusetts courthouses and other government assets that began in 1786 and culminated in a full-fledged military clash in 1787.

What was the main reason for Shays’ Rebellion?

Farmers who participated in the Revolutionary War received little compensation, and many were struggling to make ends meet by the 1780s.

What was one effect of Shays’ Rebellion?

The new legislature suspended debts and reduced taxes, relieving the economic strain that the rebels were battling to bear. 

How did the government react to Shays’ Rebellion?

The Articles of Confederation governed the newly established United States at the time of Shays’ Rebellion. Many in the country thought this constitution was too weak to rule the nascent nation adequately.

How did Shays’ Rebellion end?

Shays and other commanders planned an attack on the federal arsenal in Springfield to get guns.  Shots have been fired at Shays and his men as they neared the armory. The rest of the group withdrew to Chicopee, as they sent a message and requested Shepard to bury the deceased.

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