Shays' Rebellion (We the People: Revolution and the New Nation)

After the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, Massachusetts raised taxes to pay for the cost of the war. Many small farmers could not pay their taxes and so faced imprisonment. Farmers known as Regulators organized protests, and in 1787, a large group of Regulators led by farmer Daniel Shays marched on the U.S. arsenal at Springfield. The rebellion was quickly put down, but many government leaders believed that the country needed a stronger national government to deal with future rebellions, as well as the problems that had led to the rebellion in the first place. This led to the writing of the U.S. Constitution, the governing document that is still used today.