The Franklin Mint History Of The United States, 1776-1973
Manufacturer
The Franklin Mint
DateNo Date
MediumSilver
DimensionsOverall: 1 3/4 in. (45 mm.)
ClassificationsDecorative arts
Credit LineGift of Dr. Eugene F. Poutasse
Object number76.81.11
On View
Not on viewThe 1786 medal: Shays' Rebellion
The finances of Massachusetts, like most of the country, were chaotic as a result of the Revolutionary War. A postwar deflation was made worse by the British cutting off trade with the West Indies. To meet obligations, poll and property taxes rose to over ten times what they were before the Revolution.
The government, dominated by commercial interests of eastern Massachusetts, demanded payment in specie. This caused hardship for farmers in western counties. Farms were sold by court order to satisfy creditors or to pay taxes; many farmers were imprisoned for debt.
Unable to get tax relief or a moratorium on debts, farmers banded together and from late August until the end of 1786 a number of courts were prevented from meeting to sell their property. This rebellion agaisnt authority is called Shay's Rebellion, after Daniel Shays, one of the leaders, who had been a captain in the Revolution. As impoverished as any, he had already sold a ceremonial sword presented to him by Lafayette, and once could not afford to pay a $12 debt.
To thwart the rebellion, Governor Bowdoin authorized a State militia of 4,400 men commanded by Major General Benjamin Lincoln and supported by funds from wealthy Boston citizens. When Shays attempted to seize the arsenal at Springfield to obtain needed arms on January 25, 1787, three men were killed and a fourth mortally wounded. Fleeing the confusions, they were pursued by General Lincoln to Petersham where 150 men were captured in a surprise attack on February 4, Shays and others escaping. By the end of February the rebellion was over.
The leaders were condemned to death. But in the annual State election held in April sympathetic voters overwhelmingly defeated Governor Bowdoin and all of the rebels, including Shays, were pardoned. Tax reform and the use of certain personal and real property in payment of debts were also authorized.
Shays' Rebellion had an important side-effect: When delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in 1787 they voted for a stronger central government.
