Shays' Rebellion

E286825

Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers in 1786–1787 protesting economic injustices and high taxes, which exposed weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and helped spur calls for a stronger U.S. federal government.

All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Shays' Rebellion canonical 2
Shays’ Rebellion 1
Shays’s Rebellion 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf armed uprising
historical event
rebellion
alsoKnownAs Shays' Rebellion
surface form: Shays’s Rebellion
country United States of America
surface form: United States
endDate 1787
hasCause economic injustice
farm foreclosures
high taxes
lack of paper money
post–Revolutionary War debt
tight credit policies
hasEffect contributed to the calling of the Philadelphia Convention
exposed weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
increased fears of anarchy among American elites
influenced the movement for a new U.S. Constitution
stimulated calls for a stronger federal government
strengthened support for federal authority over the states
hasHistoricalSignificance influenced framers’ views on the need for a stronger executive
used as an example of the dangers of weak central authority
hasParticipant Daniel Shays
Massachusetts farmers
Government of Massachusetts
surface form: Massachusetts state government
languageOfName English
leader Daniel Shays
locatedIn Massachusetts
New England
mainLocation Springfield, Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
surface form: western Massachusetts
namedAfter Daniel Shays
opponent James Bowdoin
surface form: Governor James Bowdoin

Massachusetts Bay Colony militia
surface form: Massachusetts militia

state courts of Massachusetts
relatedTo Articles of Confederation
Federalism in the United States
Philadelphia Convention
United States Constitution
debates over strong central government
result Massachusetts passed debtor relief measures
amnesty eventually granted to most rebels
rebellion suppressed by state militia
significantEvent attempted seizure of the federal arsenal at Springfield
closing of county courts by armed farmers
defeat of rebel forces at the Springfield arsenal
dispersal of remaining rebels in early 1787
startDate 1786
timePeriod Confederation period of United States history
post–American Revolutionary War era

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Military history of Massachusetts notableEvent Shays' Rebellion
this entity surface form: Shays’ Rebellion
Confederation period notableEvent Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion alsoKnownAs Shays' Rebellion
this entity surface form: Shays’s Rebellion