Today in Labor History August 29, 1786: Shays' Rebellion began in Massachusetts. It was an armed uprising of farmers and tradesmen in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades. And it was an attempt to overthrow the government. Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels (called Shaysites) in a protest against economic and civil rights injustices. They marched on the federal Armory in Springfield an unsuccessful attempt to seize its weaponry and overthrow the government. They also shut down the courts, seeking relief from the burdensome judicial processes that resulted in the loss of their land and possessions. Sam Adams accused the rioters of being foreign subversives and suspended habeas corpus so that he could jail them without trial. He also proposed the death penalty for insurrectionists. The Federal Government, still young and weak, was unable to finance sufficient troops to put down the rebellion, due, in part, to the rules of the Articles of Confederation. Some of the rebels sought assistance from the Mohawks, led by Joseph Brandt. Consequently, it was the Massachusetts State Militia that ultimately quashed the uprising, over 5 months later. Despite the duration and violence of the uprising, only 9 people died. The majority of those who confessed, or who were sentenced, ultimately had their convictions overturned, or received pardons, including Shays. The conflict helped solidify support for creating the new Constitution, led by the Federalists, who argued for a stronger central government. Thomas Jefferson, in contrast, who was in Europe at the time, refused to be alarmed by the rebellion and even went on to say that "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." #workingclass #LaborHistory #shays #rebellion #uprising #massachusetts #insurrection #constitution #indigenous #mohawk