Daniel Shays

And his little rebellion.

Problems for Congress

WTP – pg 98

How does this picture illustrate the problems of Congress under the Articles of Confederation?

Explain specific points, why the picture is saying that, etc.

Good Times Can Lead to Bad Things…..

Before the war,

Times were good so…

Farmers borrowed money to plant more crops.

They made a lot of money selling their extra crops at high prices.

Remember that….

After the war,

We had a lot of debt (We owed France!)

No money and no way to get it.

States argued about how much of the war debt was theirs.

Congress has not paid the men who fought in the war.

Who is to blame?

If you borrow a lot of money then can’t pay your bills, who is to blame?

Why so mad?

Because times were bad people did not have money……

Crop prices dropped, were low.

Farmers were not bringing in much money.

Farmers couldn’t pay their debts, property taxes, etc.

Farmers lost their farms and sometimes jailed.

Shays’ Rebellion

Daniel Shays: farmer and leader of the rebellion

His plan: shut down the courts that are approving the taking of farms.

But, you need weapons, GUNS!

Failed Attempt

To get weapons…

He tried to take over the local militia arsenal.

Good fight but their attempt failed.

Importance: People realize the country needs help, something needs to be fixed.

Video Clips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ImIEcsTEVo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqWi8BovQ3U 8:40 Troubled Farmers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQNRux-aKrw 9:41 Taking Up Arms

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHabpxcXK5c 9:04 Taking the Arsenal

27:25 Total Time

Class work

Solid, thoughtful answers. (several sentences)

Number and skip lines. Answer the following questions:

1. What did Daniel Shays and his followers expect to gain from their rebellion? (What was the goal/objective?)

2. Do you think the farmers were right to rebel?

3. Was the rebellion successful? (Really think about it. Was the goal/objective accomplished?)