Question

How did many Americans react to Shay’s rebellion?

Answer 1

Hint: Shay’s Rebellion was an uprising in western Massachusetts. It came as a response to the high taxes and economic conditions of the debtors. The harsh policies of the government led to Daniel Shay leading a rebellion against it.

Complete answer: In 1786, the policies of the state government of Massachusetts was growingly injust on the debtors of the state. Most of these people were either farmers or war veterans. So Daniel Shay, a war veteran himself led the protests against this.
The demands of the rebellion were to strengthen the federal structure and take back the exploitative laws. Though this rebellion was brutally crushed by the government, it left lasting effects on the Americans.
The most important point was that the Americans were reminded of the oppressive policies of the British government before the American Revolution. And therefore, this connection made them question the authority of the US government, governing without a constitution.
Thus, Shay’s rebellion had a direct impact on the formulation of the US constitution and the set up of the federal state structure.

Note: Many nationalists called the Article of Confederation insufficient for the working of a truly democratic government. This led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the framing of the constitution.