Shay's Rebellion Analysis

After the American Revolution, America was in a state where it thought of itself as a free and unified nation when they were anything but, it took thousands of farmers to make Americans realize the problems at hand. Early day colonial America was a very hard-boiled place and many people were struggling under the new constitution of the Americas. It remained very tense until Daniel Shays led thousands of farmers and working men in protest after many farmers were burdened with debt after the recent war. In the government though the farmers were not given support, instead the Governor himself supported the creditors and tax collectors. This would all eventually lead to what is known as “Shay’s Rebellion”, in which he led thousands of men blocking courthouses and workplaces until they were eventually arrested or disbanded. However, the impact of the protest didn’t end at the arrest, in fact it would lead on to shape America as we know it. After this protest, it led many leaders and thinkers to question the constitution and the way the country was worked. Governor James Bowdoin saw the rebels as violent mobsters who wanted to rule the country, while Thomas Jefferson thought …show more content…
One of the biggest changes that needed to be made was that of the how the government can’t levy taxes. James Madison produced and presented the “Virginia Plan”, which proposed a stronger federal government with three branches in Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. On the other hand, many delegates wanted power for smaller states versus having a strong centralized government. The basic change during the convention was the set-up of voting, which changed from the single vote, but Rodger Sherman offered a compromise, that Congress would have a lower house (House of Representatives), while there would also be an upper house (Senate). This is the governmental system still used to this