Shays' rebellion significance.
How did shays' rebellion lead to the constitutional convention
What Caused Shays' Rebellion?
The farmers who fought in the Revolutionary War had received little compensation, and by the 1780s many were struggling to make ends meet.
Businesses in Boston and elsewhere demanded immediate payment for goods that farmers had previously bought on credit and often paid off through barter.
There was no paper money in circulation and no gold or silver to be accessed by the farmers to settle these debts.
Articles of Confederation
At the same time, Massachusetts residents were expected to pay higher taxes than they had ever paid to the British in order to assure that Governor James Bowdoin’s business associates would receive a good return on their investments.
With no means to move their crops and make money to pay off debts and taxes, Boston authorities began to arrest the farmers and foreclose on their farms.
The Rebellion Begins
Farmers first attempted peaceful means to settle their issues.
In the August of 1786, farmers in western Massachusett