Shays' Rebellion (jan 1, 1775 – jan 1, 1775)

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Shay's Rebellion was an uprising of poor farmers in Massachusetts. Most of the farmers were veterans of the Revolutionary War and were being prosecuted since they could not pay off their debts. The farmers were angry because they were promised a reward for fighting in the Revolutionary War but they did not recieve any.

Daniel Shays was a poor veteran of the Revolutionary War and was one of the leaders of the Rebellion. He led a group of 600 men to the courthouse in Springfield and prevented judges from going in. Boston merchants got tired of the Rebellion and paid for a milita to defeat the rebels. When the rebels saw that they were outnumbered, they scattered, thus the rebellion ended.

This event shows that American Democracy at that time only gave white men who owned land more rights, therefore it was not a true democratic nation. Although poor people made up most of the population, they did not have much of a voice. They were only heard when they protested or rebelled. If the government were truly democratic, then everyone, black and white men and women, would have equal rights and would also have the right to vote.

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