The Massachusetts Revolution of 1786
An Unsuccessful Attempt to Broaden the Reach of American Liberty
Nov 3, 2009
In the autumn of 1774, western Massachusetts had seen the first successful overthrow of British rule in America. A dozen years later, the same region witnessed a brief struggle to extend the fruits of the earlier victory to a broader segment of the population. This time, though, the struggle failed.
Discontent in Western Massachusetts
In 1780 the legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts adopted a constitution which, among other things, increased the property requirements for voting. As a result, voting was limited to the wealthiest white men, who tended to elect other wealthy white men to represent their interests. But the interests of the successful merchants, lawyers, and speculators in and around Boston differed greatly from the interests of the farmers and other working men of the western part of the state. Many of the latter were veterans of the War of Independence who were owed considerable back pay for their service. The courts of the Commonwealth often seized the land and other property of those who were unable to pay their debts. And, unlike some of the other states, Massachusetts refused to issue paper money, insisting instead that wages due to veterans be paid off with credits that would – eventually – be redeemable for cash.
Discontent Becomes Revolution
Just as in 1774, the people of the western counties of Massachusetts organized themselves to resist the authority of the central government. They formed conventions, passed resolutions, and demanded a redress of their grievances. When the courts met to order seizures of the property of those who could not afford to pay their debts, armed citizens gathered by the hundreds, often joined by local militias, to prevent the judges from taking their seats. Also as in 1774, the resistance to the established government was widespread and largely spontaneous.
Although there were no real leaders, certain individuals in various places became the chief organizers of the rebellion; in western Massachusetts, one such man was Daniel Shays. Shays was a veteran of the Continental army who had fought at Lexington, Bunker Hill, and Saratoga; who had been wounded in action; who had resigned from the army in 1780 because he had not been paid; and who, returning home, ended up in court for nonpayment of debts. In September of 1786, he led a contingent of farmers, mostly veterans like him, to the county court in Springfield, where they eventually compelled the judges to adjourn.
The Revolution Is Crushed
The resistance quickly spread beyond western Massachusetts. In Rhode Island and New Hampshire, attempts were made (successful in the former, but not in the latter) to compel the legislatures to print paper money for the relief of debt. And Daniel Shays led an army of a thousand towards Boston. But winter was fast approaching; the snows made it difficult for farmers to travel to the courts, and Shays and his army were forced by a blizzard to turn back. At the same time, many former patriots, now securely in power, decided that revolution was not such a good idea any more. Massachusetts governor James Bowdoin instructed the legislature to “vindicate the insulted dignity of government.” [1] Samuel Adams helped draft a Riot Act, as well as a suspension of habeas corpus, allowing the government to jail citizens without charges. Congress, with money raised from Boston merchants, sent out an army to put down the rebellion. Many of the rebels were captured, and several were executed. Daniel Shays fled to Vermont; in time, he and other rebels were pardoned. The revolution of 1786 was over.
One former patriot, at least, was not pleased by this outcome. Thomas Jefferson, then serving as ambassador to France, wrote to Abigail Adams expressing the hope that the captured rebels would be pardoned: “The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all.” [2] What has become known as Shays’s Rebellion, though it did not achieve its goals, remains a significant attempt by Americans to exercise their right to shape – and reshape – their own government.
Source:
[1] Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States: 1492–Present. New York: HarperCollins, 1999, p. 94.
[2] Peterson, Merrill D., Ed. Thomas Jefferson: Writings. New York: The Library of America, 1984, pp. 889-890.
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