Shay s Rebellion Essay

Submitted By isabellamccallum
Words: 701
Pages: 3

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Isabella McCallum!
Lee Penniman!
A.P Politics and Government!
March 10, 2014!
Select either Shays' Rebellion or ADA, 1990. Discuss how your chosen event/legislation is either an example of Freedom vs. Order or Freedom vs. Equality.!

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I chose to read Shay’s Rebellion. I chose this event because I am interested in the Articles of
Confederation. Shay’s Rebellion is an example of Freedom v.s Order. Shay’s Rebellion is an example of Freedom v.s Order because it shows the American Government at a time were states were given maximum power, this caused strains in many aspects of American life.
Veterans of the Revolutionary War returned home to their farms with little to no money. In addition to this, there were very high farm taxes, causing many farmers to be angered with the state of the government. The Rebellion was led by Daniel Shays, a farmer who’d served in the
Revolutionary War. One of the most important events in Shay’s rebellion was the march on the government arsenal in January 1787, during this event, four rebels were killed and four wounded. This prompted trials against treason for 200 of the rebels and many people to rethink the Articles of Confederation. Many people realized that the Articles of Confederation could not sustain a nation as big as the United States, more people started to favor the “Virginia Plan” which supported a stronger central government. This led to the drafting of the Constitution. One by one, states ratified the Constitution, some by a very small margin. Shay’s rebellion is an example of Freedom vs. Order because it shows that there needs to be a balance of both freedom and order. If you have too much freedom, similar to the Articles of Confederation, you can lose order, which can result in a revolt, similar to Shay’s rebellion.!

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What freedoms are most important to you?!

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The most important freedoms to me are freedom of speech, right to vote, and freedom of religion. I find that these freedoms are most important to me because as an American citizen, I realize many people in this world do not have these rights. For example, in North Korea, there are many restrictions put on the rights of the people. North Koreans do not have freedom of speech or right to vote. I find this very hard to imagine. If Americans did not have listed liberties like the ones we already possess, many advances in technology and science would not have happened. In addition to this, we’d not know a number of political corruptions, such as
Watergate. I’m grateful for each liberty Americans are given and I hope to see these liberties sustained for generations to come.!

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What freedoms are you willing to give up in an