America's First Rebellion: Shays Rebellion
143Shays Rebellion in 1787 was the first main strain on the US after its independence, and would in truth, test the new government and its constitution as was needed. The Tale of Shays Rebellion however is largely forgotten, but it played a major role in the development and the ever changing history of the United States.
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For the next month, a multitude of courthouses across the state were shut down. With the courts in larger cities, only being able to do work, if under the protection of the state militia. It was feared that Civil war was about to break lose, so much so, that Samuel Adams, helped write up a riot act, and a bill to suspend habius corpus. Pinning the protesters as British agents, instigating treason against the Republic, and should be put to death. The legislature wasn't as crazy, and instead moved to make some concessions, saying that certain old taxes could now be paid in goods instead of hard currency. These measures were followed by one prohibiting speech critical of the government and offering pardons to protestors willing to take an oath of allegiance. These legislative actions were unsuccessful in quelling the protests, and the suspension of habeas corpus alarmed many that weren't on the side of the farmers, causing government support in the state to fall even further. Warrants were issued for the arrest of several of the protest ringleaders, and a posse of some 300 men rode out on November 28 to arrest Job Shattuck, one of the main leaders and others in the area. Shattuck was chased down and arrested on the 30th, suffering a wound in the process. This action and the arrest of other leaders in the eastern parts of the state angered those in the west, and they began to organize an overthrow of the state government. By mid-January rebel leaders spoke of smashing the "tyrannical government of Massachusetts".
The federal government was very worried of this rebellion spreading, but was left completely powerless in actually dealing with it. As under the Articles of Confederation, the federal government had no way to raise militia units, so it was left to the individual states to act. Governor Bowdoin did so, raising around 3,000 militia units, under the overall command of Former Continental Army General Benjamin Lincoln, him and his men marched for Worchester on January the 19th, of 1787. Shay's men in turn, had planned to attack the federal armory in Springfield, being held by William Shepard. When they advanced on the 25th of January, Shepards men were waiting for them, and fired cannons at Shay's men, inflicting 25 casualties, this alone broke the advance, and they scattered, before regrouping in Amherst, 30 miles to the north. They wouldn't be left alone for long however.
General Lincoln, quickly marched after them, and Shay's men fled to the North-East to try and escape him, eventually setting up camp at Petersham, resting as a major snow-storm blew in, thinking that no one would advance in this kind of weather. But as per usual, they came anyway. Lincolns men surprised the camp, and they once against scattered, heading into New Hamphere and Vermont to elude capture. This, put an end to any large-scale rebellion in the state, and the state legislation, passed a bill declaring martial law, granting Governor Bowdin, massive rights to expand the militia. Yet, the biggest battle of the rebellion, would be yet to come.
On February the 27th, 1788. A group of 120 men crossed from New York, and attacked the town of Stockbridge, looting the merchant houses as they marched through, and they threatened to cause trouble of for the state as a whole, if allowed to continue. Since Lincolns men had largely dispersed due to expired enlistments. Brigadier John Ashley, mustered some 80 men and quickly set after the rebels. Catching them at Sheffield on March the first. Here, the two sides did battle, in which 30 rebels were wounded or killed, and the rest taken prisoner. Putting the final end, to Shay's rebellion