In August 1786, Daniel Shays, a Massachusetts veteran of the American Revolution, was in dire financial need. He could not pay his state taxes and had to sell his most-prized possession—the sword given to him by the Marquis de Lafayette.

The debt was not going away, and he was facing the loss of his farm and even prison for not paying his bills.

Thousands of farmers across western Massachusetts were in the same situation. They wrote petitions to the state government in Boston, but the eastern moneymen ignored their pleas. For the farmers, 1786 felt a lot like 1776. Out of options, Shays led the farmers into an open revolt against the government. It took until February 1787 before the state ended Shays's Rebellion. Shays survived, but the Articles of Confederation ultimately would not.

After viewing the slideshow, answer the following three questions using your notes.

1. If the Articles of Confederation had given the federal government the sole power to coin money, how might the situation have turned out differently?
2. If the Articles of Confederation had given the federal government a military and the power to enforce laws, how might the situation have turned out differently?
3. In your opinion, was Shays justified in taking arms when he could not pay taxes?

Click here for a possible answers.

1. A true national currency could have had some credibility and might have been considered appropriate payment for debts. The state might not have been "out of cash," and people might have been able to pay their taxes. Because it was new, people still might have preferred foreign currency, but one single, national dollar had the best chance to succeed.
2. When the state of Massachusetts was in trouble, if the federal government had had a military, it could have helped. The national government looked basically useless if it did not even have the authority to end a rebellion.
3. Justified: The Massachusetts legislature essentially acted heartlessly by passing taxes that people could not pay. The government forced farmers into debt, causing them to lose their farms and freedom. Shays and his followers basically were left with no other choice when the government ignored their petitions.
4. Unjustified: The government may have passed an unjust tax, but you cannot rebel every time the state does something wrong. No government can survive if the people take up arms every time they disagree with it. Remember that even the American Revolution took almost two decades of abuses before the Declaration of Independence was created.