The American Revolution was not exclusively the work of urban elites. From the very beginning, tensions emerged not only between the colonies and England, but also between "local" and "national" interests, farmers and merchants, rural areas and the eastern port cities. In 1786 and 1787, American farmers from New Hampshire to South Carolina took up arms in protest against state and local enforcement of debt assessment and tax collection. Led by Daniel Shays, a former captain in the Connecticut Army, the most serious and successful rebellion took place in Massachusetts, where bad harvests and high taxes threatened to destroy local farms. Beginning in the summer of 1786, rebel farmers seized control of the federal arsenal in Springfield, and resisted local merchants and politicians before being suppressed by the state militia the following winter. Shays' Rebellion never seriously threatened the fragile new political order, but it did inspire a great deal of concern among the political establishment, leading to significant debate about rights, property, and debt at the Constitutional Convention. The following petition, submitted by several farmers in the Town of Greenwich to the Massachusetts Assembly, expresses the deep concern about debt and bankruptcy that inspired Shays' Rebellion.
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To the Honourable Senate and the House of Representatives in General Court assembled att their next session:
A Petition of the Subscribers humbly sheweth -
That in the time of the late war, being desirous to defend secure and promote the wrights and liberties of the people, we spared no pains but freely granted all that aid and assistance of every kind that our civel fathers required of us.
We are sencable also that a great debt is justly brought upon us by the war and are as willing to pay our shares towards itt as we are to injoy our shares in independancy and constatutional priviledges in the Commonwealth, if itt was in our power. And we believe that if prudant mesuers ware taken and a moderate quantety of medium to circulate so that our property might sel for the real value we mite in proper time pay said debt.
But with the greatest submittion we beg leave to informe your Honours that unless something takes place more favourable to the people, in a little time att least, one half of our inhabitants in our oppinion will become banckerupt - how can itt be otherwise - the constables that are dayly vandering our property both real and personal, our land after itt is prised by the best judges under oath is sold for about one third of the value of itt, our cattle about one half the value, the best inglesh hay thirteen shilings per tone, interval hay att six shilings per tone, and other things att the same rate. And we beg leave further to informe your honours that sutes att law are very numerous and the atturneys in our oppinion very extravigent and oppressive in their demands. And when we compute the taxes laid upon us the five preceeding years; the state and county, town and class taxes, the amount is equil to what our farms will rent for. Sirs, in this situation what have we to live on - no money to be had; our estates dayly posted and sold, as above described. What can your honours ask of us unles a paper curancy or some other medium be provided so that we may pay our taxes and debts. Suerly your honours are not strangers to the distresses of the people but doe know that many of our good inhabitants are now confined in gole for det and for taxes: maney have fled, others wishing to flee to the State of New York or some other State; and we believe that for two years past four inhabitents have removed from this State to some other State to one that has come from some other State to settle in this State.
Honoured Sirs, are not these imprisonments and fleeing away of our good inhabitents very injurious to the credit or honour of the Commonwealth? will not the people in the neighbouring States say of this State: altho' the Massachusetts bost of their fine constatution, their government is such that itt devours their inhabitents? Notwithstanding all these distresses, we hear of no abatement of sallerys, but his Excellency the Governor must be paid eleven hundred a year out of the moneys collected as before mentioned, and other sallerys and grants to other gentlemen, as your honours very well know. Iff these things are honest, just and rite, we sincearly wish to be convinced of itt: but we honestly confess itt is beyond our skill to reconcile these sallerys and grants with the principles of our Constatution (viz.) piaty, justice, moderation, temperance, etc.
We observe in the proclamation lately sent out by his Excellency that the promotion of piaty and virtue is highly recommended. We rejoice att the recommendation, and beg leave to mention that maxim, example is stronger than precept; and who can be more likely to bring forward a reformation by example than the honourable members of the General Court, by a line of conduct agreeable to Scripture and the precipts of the Constatution. If your honours finde anything above mentioned worthy of notice, we earnestly pray that they may be candedly considered, for we have weighted, hoped and expected that the present General Court would point out sum way whereby the people might be releaved. We therefore most humbly pray your honours to admitt a paper currancy and make itt a tender in all payments whatsoever, or some other way to releave your petitioners as your honours in your grate wisdom shall think most proper. And iff no other can be found out, pray send us such a commitee as your honours can confide in to apprise our estates and take them att your own price. And as in duty bound shall every pray
Jeremiah Powers.
Nehemiah Stebbins.
Zebedee Osborn
January 16th 1786 [and 57 other signatures]