Daniel Shays Biography
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Daniel Shays (c. 1747 - September 29, 1825)
was a former captain in the American Revolutionary War. He led a small
army of farmers in a revolt against the state government of
Massachusetts from 1786-1787.
Little is known of his early life; he was
probably born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. In 1777 he was commissioned
as a captain in the 5th Massachusetts Regiment and he participated in
the battles of Bunker Hill, Ticonderoga, Saratoga and Stony Point. His
service record was notable, and he was awarded a ceremonial sword by the
Marquis de Lafayette at the end of the war for distinguished service.
After retiring from the army in 1780 Shays
settled in Pelham, Massachusetts, where he served in several local
government positions. Economic conditions in the U.S., especially
Western Massachusetts, began a serious decline and by 1786 Shays became
one of several who took command of units of rebels. The uprising soon
became known as the "Shays Rebellion" after an encounter between a force
of about 800 farmers under Shays, and a private militia unit of roughly
the same size, at Springfield on September 26, 1786. Shays and his men
were trying to prevent the Massachusetts Supreme Court from convening,
fearing indictments against farmers in arrears. No actual fighting took
place during the incident, but tensions quickly escalated.
By the winter of 1786-1787 there was open
fighting between government forces and rebels. After several skirmishes
Shays and his men were defeated at Petersham, Massachusetts on February
2, 1787. Shays then fled to Vermont. Condemned to death in absentia on a
charge of treason, Shays petitioned for amnesty in February 1788, and
the petition was granted by John Hancock on June 13. Shays then
relocated to New York.
Shays was later granted a pension by the
federal government for his Revolutionary War service. He maintained for
the rest of his life that his service in the Revolution and his fighting
during the rebellion were for the exact same principles. He died in
Sparta, New York and is buried in Springwater. During his life, he never
allowed a portrait of him to be made, so it is unknown what he looked
like.
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URL of Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Shays
Date Article Copied:
March 17, 2006
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