Description
Taxpayer revolts are nothing new. In 1786-1787 Massachusetts farmers revolted against what they regarded as unfair taxes and were forcibly put down by state militia. The sentiments that propelled Shays’s Rebellion spread throughout New England and spread fear among the governing classes. Realization that the existing government was not strong enough to maintain order led to the convening of the Constitutional Convention. Referring periodically to “the troubles up north,” delegates to the convention agreed to a United States, rather than a Confederation of States laying the foundation for the government we know today. Explore this catalytic event, the issues that fomented it and its unintended consequences.
