ipl-logo

What Was The Significance Of Shays Rebellion

1567 Words7 Pages

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

Show More
Related
1051 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
270 Words | 2 Pages

Last night on February 4, 1787, General Benjamin Lincoln attacked members of the Shays’ Rebellion, and successfully captured 150 of the rebels. As a result, Daniel Shays left Massachusetts and fled to Vermont. Shays Rebellion was an armed rebellion consisting of 1,200 angry farmers from Massachusetts. They caused major chaos in this state. On December 26, 1786 Daniel Shays and the rebels revolted in Springfield, Massachusetts insisting that the state legislature address their issues, such as lack of money.

Read More
591 Words | 3 Pages

This paper presents two essays written by Gordon Wood and Barbara Smith during the nineteenth century on the American Revolution. Both historians have different points of views and interpretation on what this revolution was really about. The purpose of these writings is to give a clear idea of the American Revolution to the readers and to make them closely think on how it affected people’s life and the society. On one hand, the historian wood declared that the revolution ended monarchy and led the society to democracy. He believed that this revolution was a good start to a new life for all Americans.

Read More
422 Words | 2 Pages

In this document Bacon declares himself General by the consent of the people and asserts that Governor Sir William Berkeley and his supporters have used their power to commit crimes against the people of Virginia and the English Crown. The document cites eight grievances related to unjust taxes, inadequate protection from the Indians, and government corruption. Bacon calls for the immediate surrender or capture of Berkeley and 23

Read More
143 Words | 1 Pages

Hieu, I completely agree with your views on the two main struggles the Founding Fathers encountered while developing the foundation for this great nation. Your views on both taxation and the Shays ' Rebellion are very similar to mine. It 's crazy that a society in that time frame didn 't adopt the Europeans way of taxation, which evolved around the king and his government. Another good point you have is how it was up to the individual states to fend for themselves for protection. Where the thirteen colonies just finished working together to defeat Great Britain in the Revolutionary War.

Read More
1224 Words | 5 Pages

Gordon Wood achieved great success among his peers with the publication of his book, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, for which he was awarded the Bancroft Prize, as well as the John H. Dunning Prize, both in 1970. In it, Dr. Wood breaks down the process of how American political thought developed from early protests against British measures in the construction of the world's first federal republic. He does so by giving us in detail using a number of different sources, historical information on the reasoning behind the revolution. Dr. Wood walks us through how our government started with a monarchical society which was hierarchical, and later transformed, and emerged as a more recognizable modern society, in where a more commercially oriented and capitalistic government came to light. Wood writes, “[Americans] learned how to define the rights of nature, how to search into, to distinguish, and to comprehend, the principles of physical, moral, religious, and civil liberty, how, in short, to discover and resist the forces of tyranny before they could be applied.

Read More
934 Words | 4 Pages

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).

Read More
559 Words | 3 Pages

In a time when the Pontiac was and French and Indian war had ended, the Articles of confederation was established. The Articles had weakened the National government and a social revolution occurred. In this context new taxes were created and a significant amount of resistance arose. Many violent protests had occurred in the 1700s, such as, the march of the Paxton boys, Shays rebellion, and the whiskey Rebellion. One significant protest that occurred in 1763 was the March of the paxton boys.

Read More
1002 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
776 Words | 4 Pages

“Let the people take arms. The remedy is to present them with the facts, pardon, and pacify them.” (A letter by Thomas Jefferson, paragraph 2). Shays’ Rebellion was a group of American citizens that were fighting for their rights and were against taxation during the 1780s. Although many people perceive Shays and his followers as rebels, nevertheless Shays’ and his followers were freedom fighters because the government were treating others unfairly, the justice system was full of revenge, hatred, etc., and the wealthy became more rich from taxes.

Read More
586 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the era between the years 1790 to 1840, the United States withstood numerous involvements in their political system by both factors within their country and as far as an ocean away. These various influences immensely contributed to moulding and creating America’s government system. The political affairs that occurred within the United States were in one way or another connected to the unsolved issues of political parties within the country. For example, after the War of 1812, Jackson introduced what is known as the Spoils System, which specifically targeted the political supporters of the Democrats and rewarded campaign contributors with positions in public office rather than to those who were qualified for the position.

Read More
944 Words | 4 Pages

As a result of the suspension of habeas corpus, John Merryman was arrested and put in prison without a reason as to prevent Maryland from seceding from the Union. According to the Constitution, “The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.” (Article I, Section 9, Clause 2). Bouvier’s Law Dictionary (Revised Sixth Edition, 1856) defines rebellion as ‘the taking up arms traitorously against the government and in another, and perhaps a more correct sense, rebellion signifies the forcible opposition and resistance to the laws and process lawfully issued’. In the case of the seceding states, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, they all rallied under the Confederate flag, their new form of government in opposition of the laws set by the Union.

Read More
470 Words | 2 Pages

Howard Zinn discussed the actuality of Colonial America, in which the wealthy handled poor whites, black slaves, and Native Americans as undesirables. Zinn’s thesis was the idea of plutocracy, government by the wealthy, controlling American society. Class lines hardened, distinctions between rich and poor became sharper. Wealth equated to power, slaves, and estate subsequently, fortifying their superiority over the disadvantaged. This inequality of wealth and power caused disapprobation among the impoverished populace and defiances such as Bacon’s Rebellion undertook.

Read More
926 Words | 4 Pages

In the 17th century Jamestown was the capital of Virginia. The Governor Sir William Berkley, welcomed his cousin by marriage Nathaniel Bacon who was sent to Virginia in hopes he would “mature”. (nps.gov, n.d.) Problems began to arise for the Virginia colony from economic downfalls and Mother Nature’s ugly side. Bacon began developing a rebellious group accusing Governor Berkley of siding with Indian’s against the goodwill of the colony.

Read More
826 Words | 4 Pages

The rise of a national American identity held a key role in many events between the years of 1754 and 1800. This new rise of a “national American identity” was a result of the early revolts, such as those that took place in response to “taxation without representation” and in support of the early fight for rights and representation in the government. These revolts led to eventual war to support this identity, ultimately resulting in American independance. The primary long-term cause for the rise of this new American identity was the American Revolution itself. Meanwhile, the most withstanding effect of the American Revolution was the success in the founding of a strong and powerful independent country.

Read More

More about What Was The Significance Of Shays Rebellion

Related Topics

Open Document