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What Was The Significance Of Shays Rebellion

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Throughout the history of the United States of America, the strife for power and control has been evident. In early America, the people developed a certain mentality as the promise of freedom, self-governance, and opportunities to achieve was prominent. When this freedom was threatened, struggles for power exploded which was clearly displayed in Bacon’s Rebellion, Shay’s Rebellion, and the Whiskey Rebellion. The tyranny of the elite, who clung to this promise as well, is open for scrutiny in these rebellions that fundamentally changed America. In 1674, Virginian Governor Sir William Berkley’s power was challenged by Nathanael Bacon. Berkley profited many riches from fur trade with the Native Americans, which he had monopolized; yet, his …show more content…

The elites had to break up the rebellion and for the first time used race to break the unity of the people. Racial issues existed before this, but for the first time in America it was used to manipulate and gain dominance. Fear of former servants among the elites grew with the rebellion; therefore, they decided to use enslaved Africans for a labor force who they could control without legal issues. To even further break up the rebellion, the planters and aristocracy promised that whites would never be enslaved because of their race and allowed the poor whites to envision themselves as part of the master class. Planned racial division is just one example of how those in power maintained their power (Murrin et al. 104, Lecture Notes Week …show more content…

To have a country, he knew laws must be obeyed; even so, poor people and farmers interpreted the actions as attempts to eliminate the poor. Washington proclaimed, “It is in my judgment necessary... to take measures for calling forth the militia in order to suppress the combinations aforesaid, and to cause the laws to be duly executed... feeling the deepest regret for the occasion, but withal the most solemn conviction that the essential interests of the Union demand it.” (Washington 67). Military action ended the rebellion, yet certainly strengthened resentment towards federal authority (Murrin et al. 254, Lecture Notes Week

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Forced Founder’s, written by Woody Holton, sheds new light on one of the best-known events in American History. Holton challenges the traditional narrative of the great land-owning elite leading the revolutionary war. He does not believe it was one single factor but in fact, a web of influences that pushed Virginia into the war of independence. Holton’s main argument consists of the idea that the Indians, merchants, slaves, and debtors helped propel free Virginians into the independence movement. Virginia’s gentry were joining their peers in declaring independence from Britain in response to grassroots rebellions against their own rule.

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Before the rebellion the settlers were going against the Natives but now with their governor calling them a rebel they rebelled. There were eight actions that the document accused the governor and the wealthy of doing. The eight accusations included: unjust tax raises which weren’t used for town defenses or improvements, abusing the government system and favoring one than other, using the king’s right for self profit and interest through beaver trades, for protecting and favor the Natives more than the people of the town, for not taking care of the Natives when they attack and pillage, for framing an army that they are against the king when it was actually for protection, and for not allowing the people to protect themselves with their own army (Bacon, “Declaration of the People”). With this document Bacon built himself a bigger army with the help of the indentured servants and slaves by promising them their freedom. As things were going out of control the governor moved to safety while in Jamestown, Bacon and the rebels burned it to ashes (Waldrip).

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The whiskey rebellion was a protest by many Americans who were against the new law that taxed whiskey. This law was put into place in 1791. The United States government was in debt from the war and they decided that taxing whiskey would slowly start eating away at Americas debt. George Washington was in his second year of presidency during 1791 although he wasn't the mastermind behind the whisky tax. Alexander Hamilton was the man behind this idea because he realized that Americans needed to do something to get out of their nearly eighty million dollars in debt they had accumulated from the war.

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