As a result of these new laws, local sheriffs seized many farms and some farmers who couldn't pay their debts were put in prison. These conditions led to the first major armed rebellion in the post-Revolutionary United States. Americans were again resisting high taxes being paid to an unresponsive government that was far away from them. This led rebels to begin to attack and shut down courts in the fall of 1786, and free debtors from imprisonment. …show more content…
Shay’s Rebellion in January of 1787 James Bowdoin, the governor of Massachusetts organized a military force funded by eastern merchants, to confront the rebels. This armed force crushed Shay’s rebels in the winter of 1786-1787 as the rebels quickly fell apart when faced with a strong army organized by the state. Shays’ rebellion showed the internal conflict that could arise out of a post-revolutionary society. The leaders of the new government saw this as a sign that the articles of confederation were too weak of a