Who is daniel shays?
Daniel Shays was an American soldier, revolutionary, and farmer famous for being one of the leaders of Shays' Rebellion, an upcoming uprising against controversial debt collection and tax policies in Massachusetts in 1786 and 1787.
Why did he lead a rebellion?
Daniel Shays was the symbolic leader of Shays' Rebellion, which was started as a protest by Massachusetts farmers against high taxes and prison sentences for the borrowers. Shays had been a captain in the Continental army prior to the American Revolution. In the autumn of 1786, a group of protesters known as the Regulators forced the closure of local courts in Springfield, Mass, so the only way for him to take action was to start a rebellion, which that later than help improve the constitution, more information throughout article.
His early life
Daniel Shays was born in 1747 in Hopkins Massachusetts, the son of two Irish immigrants, Patrick and Margaret Shays. Daniel was the second of six siblings. He spent his early years as a landless farm laborer. In 1772, he married Abigail Gilbert, with whom he settled in Brookfield, Massachusetts.
Revolutionary War
Shays joined the local militia during the American revolution, he later then ranked up to the 5th captain in the 5th Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army by 1777, he later then became involved in the Boston campaign, The campaign was primarily concerned with the mobilization of Patriot militia units, and their transformation into a unified Continental Army, later than he fought the battle of bunker hill, he also fought in the following battles of Saratoga and Lexington. During the war, Daniel Shays was Wounded and later then he ended up resigning from the military, with no payment, which then caused him t have a court summon for "Unpaid Debts", which he wasn't able to cover because he didn't receive his payment from the Military.
He was later awarded with a sword called the "Ornamental sword" gifted from General Lafayette in honor of his excellence in the military, He later sold the Sword for some money to pay off his Debts that he owed.
He was later awarded with a sword called the "Ornamental sword" gifted from General Lafayette in honor of his excellence in the military, He later sold the Sword for some money to pay off his Debts that he owed.
Daniel shays Debt and tax burdens
After returning from the war, Daniel shays was surprised to discover that many of his fellow veterans and farmers ended up in the same situation as he was. Soon than meetings showed that veterans were treated unfairly upon release, and realized that businessmen were trying to get a hold of the veterans money, in order for them to pay off their debts to the European war Investors.
Protests against the courts
Protests in the countryside of Massachusetts, it turned into direct action in August 1786, after the legislature suspended it without many entries in the petition that had been sent to Boston, this petition would depict whether the veterans would have the seize their possessions or not, and it ended up working and they didn't have to give anything up, all their debt was paid for and no one had or was able to collect from them because they were finally clean.
His Later Life
Shays was later granted a retirement benefit by the federal government for the five years he served in the Continental Army without pay. Shays lived the last few years of his life in poverty and later became a heavy drinker. He supported himself on his retirement funds and by working a small parcel of land. Shays died at age 78 in Sparta, New York, and was buried at the Union Cemetery in Scottsburg.