Shays Rebellion

Shays' Rebellion is often regarded as the event that led Americans to want a stronger central government, but the story is not so simple. Opinions on the rebellion and the power of government varied, often along class lines.

In this lesson, you will gain a more understanding of how Americans reacted to Shays' Rebellion by analyzing a textbook account and a letter by Thomas Jefferson.

Article writers disliked…

Taxation without representation
A large central government that had absolute power
Having to follow British legislation
Lots of power was in the king’s hands
The king could change laws at any time

So under the Articles…

The federal government could not tax
States didn’t have to follow federal laws and treaties
States had their own laws and didn’t have to follow other states’ laws
No executive branch or national court system
Any amendment required all 13 states’ approval

What was the problem?

Since the federal government could not tax, it was very difficult to raise money
Since states didn’t have to follow laws and treaties, the federal government had no assurance that individual states would follow them
Each state had its own laws, which made it difficult for the country to act in a united way. Congress couldn’t pay back debts from the revolution and couldn’t get states to work together to encourage commerce.

Since there was no executive branch, the government could not defend its borders.
Since there was no executive branch and national court system, the government could not enforce its laws
Any amendment required all 13 states’ approval, so the AoC was very difficult to modify

Resources for this lesson can be found here: https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons/shays-rebellion

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