How might Shays' Rebellion have influenced the writing of the US Constitution?

Answer 1

Under the Articles of the Confederation state governments had the majority of the power. When Daniel Shays raised the militia and started burning court houses the Commonwealth of Massachusetts lacked the necessary man power to put down any resistance. The federal government's hands were tied. They did not have the authority to go in and resolve the situation. The militia began to increase in numbers and the state was crippled.

At the conclusion of the revolutionary War times were very hard for veterans and their impoverished families. The problem affected soldiers in every state. The soldiers' script they received for pay was almost worthless. There was no strong central government to deal with the debts of the war. The individual states were not contributing enough and there were foreign loans to pay. The Massachusetts state legislature was composed mostly of merchants from Boston and other shipping towns and cities. Farmers in Western Massachusetts resented the fact that the state's tax laws favored trade at the expense of farming. They were suffering. Many were deeply in debt and were facing serious legal penalties that included prison. People were sold into servitude and their farms were taken.

Rebel leaders organized regional regimental organizations. Many people joined the revolt led by Daniel Shays, a former Army captain from Pelham. They demanded paper money to pay their debts. There were some skirmishes and insurgents took possession of the courthouses including those in in Springfield and Northampton.

Shays led about 2,000 armed men against the Springfield arsenal. The governor of Massachusetts asked for help from the national government but the government under the Articles was unable to act. Shays' men faced an army funded by Boston merchants at the Springfield arsenal. Several of his men were killed. After several months the rebellion lost its momentum and the insurgents were eventually tried for treason. Fourteen were convicted and sentenced to death but were instead pardoned or served short prison sentences. A newly elected legislature eased the situation by allowing soldiers to pay taxes using their soldiers' notes. The times gradually became more prosperous and some of the bitterness subsided.

Shays and his followers believed they were simply carrying on the spirit of the Revolution. Thomas Jefferson, then minister to France, agreed with them. "A little rebellion now and then is a good thing," he wrote to a friend. "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Washington did not agree with Jefferson. He welcomed the failure of Shays' Rebellion and he compared it to his having to use force to prevent a military coup by a group of army officers under his command. He believed citizens could not take up arms whenever they felt something was not done correctly or when they had a grievance.

Many people, including George Washington himself, were actually distressed by the need for the Constitution. They had fought in the Revolutionary War and were reluctant to hand over that much power to the federal government after enduring such a destructive war with England. However, after Shays' Rebellion they understood that they needed a strong central government. The Articles of Confederation was the law of the land before the US Constitution. Shays' rebellion showed that the government under the Articles of Confederation was weak because it was not strong enough to repel the insurgency, and, it was unable to enforce laws reasonably and effectively.

The significance of Shays' Rebellion has been viewed differently by historians of different time periods. However it has come to be recognized today as one of the factors that forced a young nation to think carefully about its form of government. It created public support for a central government and a federal constitution. Shays' Rebellion was directly responsible for those clauses in the United States Constitution which prohibit the states from coining money, issuing bills of credit, using anything other than gold or silver for legal tender, or passing laws that impair the obligation of contracts.

Interestingly, the United States Constitution is the shortest but longest active constitution for any nation that exist today.

Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Massachusetts has recently (2010) hosted a symposium entitled "Shays' Rebellion and the Making of a Nation".

You can read more about Shays' Rebellion at the links provided below.
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Answer 2

Daniel Shays lead the rebellion with his followers because they believe they were losing their farms through the mortage foreclosues and tax delinquencies. The rebels wanted paper money, lighter taxes, and suspended property takeovers which was not provided in the Articles of the Confedaration because the Articles did not provide a strong central government. When the Constitution was written, it was written with the idea that a strong central government is needed to get want they want and provide what is needed.

Also, Shay's Rebellion encouraged many of the state delegates to seriously consider a new type of government. Without this violent resistance, many state delegates were still in support of the Articles.

Answer 3

Disputes between states could not be resolved without a national judiciary

Answer 4

Because it showed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Answer 5

The federal government under the Articles of Confederation (1781-1789) was ill-equipped to deal with insurrections -- it had no standing armed forces, and no way to raise them officially.