Who Owns the Revolution? Shays’s Rebellion

Just three years after winning independence, Americans faced a troubling question: When does resistance to government become rebellion? In 1786, Massachusetts farmers, burdened by taxes, debt, and economic hardship, took up arms against the very government their Revolution had helped create. Shays’s Rebellion exposed deep divisions over economic justice, political authority, and the meaning of liberty. Although the uprising was defeated, its consequences extended far beyond Massachusetts, fueling demands for a stronger national government. In this episode of APUSH for All, we explore the rebellion that challenged the young republic and helped shape the debate over the Constitution.