the farmers who fought in the revolutionary war had received little compensation, and by the 1780s many were struggling to make ends meet.
businesses in boston and elsewhere demanded immediate payment for goods that farmers had previously bought on credit and often paid off through barter. there was no paper money in circulation and no gold or silver to be accessed by the farmers to settle these debts.
at the same time, massachusetts residents were expected to pay higher taxes than they had ever paid to the british in order to assure that governor james bowdoin’s business associates made a good return on their investments.
with no means to move their crops and make money to pay off debts and taxes, boston authorities began to arrest the farmers and foreclose on their farms.
farmers first attempted peaceful means to settle their issues. in the summer of 1786, farmers in western massachusetts began to take direct action against debtors’ courts.
committees of town leaders drafted a document of grievances and proposed reforms, some considered radical, for the legislature in boston to enact.
but other actions began to take place. in northampton, captain joseph hines led several hundred men to block judges from entering the courthouse. they were joined by a contingent from amherst and several hundred more men from elsewhere.
in worcester, judges were blocked from holding court by crowds of hundreds of armed men. when the militia was called in, those men refused to answer, and many joined the crowd around the courthouse.
daniel shays, for whom the rebellion was eventually named, was a farmer in pelham and an ex-soldier who fought at bunker hill and other significant revolution battles.
shays became involved with the insurgents sometime in the summer of 1786 and had taken part in the northampton action. he was offered a leadership position in august but refused.
soon, however, shays was leading a sizable group and the eastern elite claimed he was the leader of the entire rebellion and potential dictator. but shays was only one leader in the rebellion.
in september, shays led a group of 600 men to shut down the court in springfield. determined to use peaceful means, he negotiated with general william shepard for the court to open, but allowing protesters to parade. the court eventually closed down when it couldn’t find any jurors to serve.
the insurgents found support in unexpected places. chief justice william whiting of the berkshire county court was a wealthy conservative who publicly spoke out in favor of the rebellion, accusing the wealthy state legislatures of making money off the impoverished farmers and claiming the farmers were obligated to disrupt government in response.
legendary patriot samuel adams, however, called for the execution of the rebellious farmers.
the massachusetts legislature offered leniency and flexibility to those with tax burdens. amnesty was also offered to the rebels if they disavowed the efforts to close the courts. the farms were expected to take oaths of allegiance to the state government.
however, a bill was passed excusing sheriffs from responsibility if they killed any insurgents and declaring harsh punishments for rebels in custody. soon after, the legislature suspended the writ of habeas corpus for a period of time.
another bill prescribed the death penalty for militiamen who took part in the protests.
the situation continued to escalate. in december 1786, a militia assaulted a farmer and his family in groton, arresting and crippling the farmer, which further fanned the flames of the insurrection.
in january 1787, governor bowdoin hired his own army, privately funded by boston businessmen. some 4,400 men under the command of general benjamin lincoln were directed to put down the insurgency.
shays and other leaders made plans to raid the federal arsenal in springfield to procure weapons. on a snow-covered january morning in
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