Plzzz im in the biggest quiz of my life Article:

On January 25, 1787, 1,400 men gathered outside the armory in Springfield, Massachusetts. Led by Daniel Shays, a former captain during the American Revolution, they planned to seize stockpiles of weapons. They called themselves “Regulators.” Their goal was to fan the flames of rebellion by turning a wave of recent tax protests into an armed uprising. But why were they turning against their own state government?

For many people, the Revolution’s end in 1783 resulted in great hardship. Veterans returned to their farms without pay. They had no money to pay loans or taxes. Many of them sold off their grain, livestock, and other goods, but they still owed huge debts. So they were hauled into court and thrown into prison.

Some states responded to this crisis by passing laws meant to help citizens and forgive their debts. Massachusetts was not one of them. So the Regulators marched on courthouses, forcing them to postpone debtors’ hearings. In Massachusetts, merchants and legislators were afraid these protests threatened the stability of their new government. In Washington, federal leaders were also alarmed.

At the time, however, the new nation was a loose federation of states without a strong central government. It lacked the power to raise funds for an army. So the Massachusetts governor and local leaders raised money to fund their own militia.

When the Regulators marched on the armory, the militia was there to stop them. Four rebels were killed and another twenty wounded. This action broke the back of the rebellion. Many rebels fled, while others were arrested and tried for treason. But the effects of the insurrection sent a tremor through the land. In particular, it deepened the tension over who should have the most power, the states or the federal government.

Since 1776, the nation had operated under the Articles of Confederation, a compact among the thirteen original states. Years of British rule had left many Americans with a fear of centralized authority. They worried that in a strong republic, representatives would lose touch with the people and become a tyranny.

Under the Confederation, Congress could settle disputes, make treaties, and raise armies. But Congress had no ability to levy taxes or regulate trade. So it was unable to deal with rebels like the Regulators. Shays’s Rebellion served a purpose, though. It spurred Congress to begin drafting a plan for a better balance between federal and state power: the U. S. Constitution.