the first armed conflict of the revolutionary war was provoked by what act? quizlet

Determined to use peaceful means, he negotiated with General William Shepard for the court to open while allowing protesters to parade. In September, Shays led a group of 600 men to shut down the court in Springfield. But Shays was only one leader in the rebellion. Soon, however, Shays was leading a sizable group and the eastern elite claimed he was the leader of the entire rebellion and potential dictator. He was offered a leadership position in August but refused. Shays became involved with the insurgents sometime in the summer of 1786 and had taken part in the Northampton action. Daniel Shaysĭaniel Shays, for whom the rebellion was eventually named, was a farmer in Pelham and an ex-soldier who fought at Bunker Hill and other significant Revolution battles. When the militia was called in, those men refused to answer, and many joined the crowd around the courthouse. In Worcester, judges were blocked from holding court by crowds of hundreds of armed men. They were joined by a contingent from Amherst and several hundred more men from elsewhere. In Northampton, Captain Joseph Hines led several hundred men to block judges from entering the courthouse. In the August of 1786, farmers in western Massachusetts began to take direct action against debtors’ courts.Ĭommittees of town leaders drafted a document of grievances and proposed reforms, some considered radical, for the legislature in Boston to enact.īut other actions began to take place.

The Rebellion Beginsįarmers first attempted peaceful means to settle their issues. With no means to move their crops and make money to pay off debts and taxes, Boston authorities began to arrest the farmers and foreclose on their farms.

At the same time, Massachusetts residents were expected to pay higher taxes than they had ever paid to the British in order to assure that Governor James Bowdoin’s business associates would receive a good return on their investments.

The first armed conflict of the revolutionary war was provoked by what act? quizlet