Shay's Rebellion was which of the following?

• A. A peaceful petition by debtors
• B. An uprising by merchants
• C. An uprising of farmers who protested punishment for being in debt
• D. A rebellion by Native Americans

Answer: (C)

Shay’s Rebellion shows how economic distress can lead to popular uprising when people feel punished for debt. The rebels were farmers who faced high taxes, mortgages, and the threat of foreclosure, and they fought to prevent courts from punishing them or seizing their land for unpaid debts. This isn’t a peaceful petition or a movement by merchants, and it isn’t a Native American uprising—it's a farmer-led revolt aimed at resisting debt-related punishment and foreclosure.

The event happened in Massachusetts in 1786–87, led by Daniel Shays, and it exposed serious weaknesses in the new nation’s framework under the Articles of Confederation. It helped spark the push for a stronger central government, since many concluded that the country needed a federal authority capable of maintaining order and addressing economic distress.