A Comparison Of The Whiskey Rebellion And Shay's Rebellion

Submitted by freefortermpapers on 06/24/2008 03:00 PM



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A Comparison Of The Whiskey Rebellion And Shay's Rebellion

An unknown man once said, "Born free…taxed to death". This is what many people across the frontier felt during America's difficult times. It seems as though the answer to any debt problem has always been to tax something. Often times, the heavy taxing hit those who could not afford to pay. These people who were unable to do what the government asked were arrested, thrown in jail, and tried for their "crimes". What choice would a poor, hopeless farmer have? It was during the revolutionary era that Americans learned the power of a protest backed by a large crowd. When the protestors failed to gain support in the government, it often led to armed rebellion. Two good examples of such rebellions are Shay's Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion.
In 1786, Shay's rebellion greatly impacted Massachusetts. The Articles of Confederation left much power to state legislature, and among these was the power to tax. The Revolutionary War left huge national and state debts that had to be paid, and the best way the legislature knew to raise revenue was to raise taxes. Most legislatures raised taxes moderately not wanting to oppress and anger the people. However, the Massachusetts legislature decided that they were going to increase taxes, as well as demand payment in hard money. Many farmers in the western half of the state were unable to comply, which landed many in jail. The farmers knew how to respond to such oppression. They called conventions to discuss the problem, and even circulated petitions against the heavy taxation. However, their protests fell on deaf ears in the legislature. They realized the situation called for more drastic measures.
Therefore in the fall of 1786, 2,500 armed men marched to shut down courthouses which were prosecuting debtors. They shut down the courthouses at Northampton, Worcester, Concord, Taunton, and Great Barrington. The man who rose from the ranks to lead was a farmer named Daniel Shays. Shays had actually...

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