💰 No power to tax
Congress could not tax anyone. It could only ask the states for money, and the states often did not pay. Congress was always short of cash.
Building a New Nation, 1783-1809 » A New Nation in Trouble: Shays' Rebellion
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Section B, Breadth study B1, Key topic 1
- How the United States was run in 1783 under the Articles of Confederation
- The weaknesses of the new government: no power to tax, war debts and quarrels between states
- The causes and events of Shays' Rebellion, 1786-87
- Why the rebellion convinced leaders that a stronger government was needed
"America: From New Nation to Divided Union, 1783-1877" is one of the eight Paper 2 Section B breadth studies in change. Students study only one, so work through this option only if it is one of your chosen options. A breadth study is about change over time, so keep asking: what changed, and what stayed the same?
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Unlock This CourseThirteen states, one weak government
The American colonies won their War of Independence against Britain, and the Treaty of Paris of 1783 recognised the United States as an independent country. The big question was how to run it. The thirteen states had just fought to be free of a distant, powerful government, so they were afraid of creating another one.
Their answer was the Articles of Confederation, the first plan of government for the United States, agreed by Congress in 1777 and in force from 1781. It set up a loose alliance of thirteen states, each of which kept most of its own power.
Key terms:
- Articles of Confederation: the first constitution of the United States, which left most power with the states.
- Congress: the national law-making body, where each state had one vote.
- Tax: money that a government demands from people or states to pay for its work.
- Hard money: gold and silver coins, as opposed to paper money.
- Shays' Rebellion: the armed protest by farmers in western Massachusetts, 1786-87.
What was wrong with the Articles?
🏛 A weak centre
There was no president and no national court system. Important laws needed the votes of nine of the thirteen states, and changing the Articles needed all thirteen to agree.
💳 War debts
The war had left a large debt. Congress owed money to foreign lenders such as France and to its own soldiers, and could not raise the money to pay. Paper money issued in the war had become almost worthless.
⚔ Quarrels between states
States put taxes on each other's goods and argued over borders. Congress could not control trade between states or make one policy for trade with other countries.
This links to two of the themes that run through the whole option: the relationship of the separate states to the whole, and the importance of financial and economic factors. In 1783 the states were strong and the whole was weak.
Shays' Rebellion, 1786-87
Causes
The trouble began in western Massachusetts. The state had chosen to pay off its war debts quickly, so it put heavy taxes on its people and demanded them in hard money. Farmers in the western towns had little coin, because they sold crops for goods or credit rather than gold and silver. After the war there was also a trade slump.
Many farmers fell into debt. The courts ordered their animals, tools and land to be seized, and some farmers were sent to prison for debt. The farmers asked the state government in Boston for help, for example by printing paper money so that debts could be repaid more easily. The government refused. Many of them were war veterans, and they felt that they had fought for liberty only to be treated unfairly.
Events
- Summer and autumn 1786: crowds of farmers closed the courts in several towns, including Northampton and Springfield, so that no more debts could be collected and no more land seized.
- Daniel Shays: a farmer who had served as a captain in the Continental Army, became the best-known leader, and the rising took his name.
- January 1787: the rebels marched on the national weapons store, the arsenal (a store of weapons) at Springfield. The state militia (part-time citizen soldiers) guarding it fired at them, killing four, and the attack failed.
- February 1787: a militia army under General Benjamin Lincoln surprised the rebels in a snowstorm and scattered them. Shays escaped to Vermont. Most rebels were let off (pardoned), and Shays himself was pardoned in 1788.
Congress could do almost nothing. It had no money or army of its own to send, so Massachusetts had to raise a force. The money came from rich Boston merchants, who put up the cash because the state was short of it.
Why it mattered
The rebellion was crushed, but its significance was large. It showed that the national government could not keep order inside the country. Many leaders, such as George Washington, were alarmed. They feared that without a stronger government the new nation would break into disorder, and that other states might see similar risings.
The rebellion also added weight to calls for reform. In 1786 delegates from several states had already met at Annapolis to discuss trade, and they asked for a wider meeting to improve the government. Shays' Rebellion made more people agree. In February 1787 Congress called a convention for the summer in Philadelphia. That convention is the next lesson.
What changed, and what stayed the same? After 1783 power moved slowly away from the idea of loose, independent states. But many Americans still feared a strong central government, and that argument continued for many years.
Common mistakes
- Saying Shays' Rebellion was against Britain. It was against the government of Massachusetts, and it happened after independence.
- Saying the rebellion won. It was defeated, but it still changed opinion about the Articles.
- Saying Congress sent an army. Congress had no money for one, and Massachusetts raised its own force.
- Mixing up cause and result: the weak government did not cause the farmers' debts, but it could not help to solve the crisis.
Exam-style question
This is a Paper 2 Section B (b) question. You need two causes, each with precise knowledge and an explanation of how it led to the outcome. One cause alone cannot score more than half marks.
Explain TWO causes of Shays' Rebellion in 1786-87. [8 marks]
Model answer
One cause was the debts and taxes that fell on farmers in western Massachusetts. The state government paid off its war debts quickly, so it demanded heavy taxes in hard money. Western farmers had little gold and silver, and many fell into debt. The courts seized their land and animals and sent some to prison, so farmers closed the courts in 1786 to stop this, which grew into open rebellion.
A second cause was that nobody in government would help. The Massachusetts government in Boston refused requests for paper money and other relief, so the farmers felt that peaceful requests had failed. The Articles of Confederation also gave Congress no power to tax or to raise an army, so there was no national authority able to deal with the crisis. This left the angry farmers to turn to force, led by Daniel Shays.
What lifts it to the top level: two different causes, each backed by accurate facts and an explanation of how it led to the rebellion.
Exam tip
Write two paragraphs, one per cause. Start each with the cause, add a precise fact, then use a phrase such as "this led to" to link it to the outcome.
Recap
- The Articles of Confederation left the United States with a weak central government: no power to tax, no president, and quarrels between states.
- Congress was deep in war debts and could not pay them.
- Shays' Rebellion (1786-87) grew from taxes, debts and farm seizures in western Massachusetts.
- It was defeated, but it convinced many leaders that a stronger government was needed, and led to the Philadelphia convention of 1787.