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The Whiskey and Shay Rebellion Essay

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There were many rebellions in the United States history, some peaceful and some violent. Shays' Rebellion in 1786 and the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 are examples of two brutal rebellions that led to death of many innocent people. Rebellions can develop due to many conditions including unfair laws, unfair treatment, and a disagreement over a sensitive topic. The Shays' Rebellion showed the Articles of Confederation was too weak, while the Whiskey Rebellion proved the Constitution to be a strong framework of government. Shays' Rebellion was the first uprising of the new nation. The battles were fought in Massachusetts. During the time period of 1786-1787, The United States government decided to raise taxes, in order to raise capital and …show more content…

The first event was in 1786, where a group of protestors made a nonviolent show of force aimed at closing down the civil courts that prosecuted the debt cases, and succeeded in preventing courts from sitting. The state militia withdrew to guard the federal armory at Springfield; but there were concerns that the Regulators would go after the weapons and gunpowder stored there. The government finally intervened, issuing curfews and suspended habeas corpus, the law that states that no one shall be kept in jail before being proved guilty. These actions raised tensions and radicalized the Regulators. Due to the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, the central government was unable to contribute meaningfully to emergent crisis. The inability to end this dispute peacefully led the blood being shed in 1787, where Massachusetts governor James Bowdoin personally raised a private state army made up of three thousand militiamen. A miscommunication on the Regulators side caused a group to march toward the armory a day early. Shays' fourteen hundred men approached the armory unsupported by their allies. Bowdoin's militia pursued the defeated rebels, and managed to scatter the rebels force completely, but Shays was able to escape, fleeing to Vermont. This battle was the effective end of the rebellion (Stock). The ineffectiveness of the central government to contain this uprising led to the

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