This petition, dated January 25, 1787, proposes that all hostilities of Shays’ Rebellion (August 1786-February 1787) be put aside until the complaints of the people can be addressed by the next sitting of the General Court. After the American Revolutionary War, a severe recession, the institution of a new real estate tax, and the scarcity of money, left many Massachusetts farmers destitute. One of them, Daniel Shays, organized a revolt against the state government. In this petition, his followers, known as “Regulators”, propose laying down their arms and returning to their homes to wait for constitutional relief if they are assured they will be in no harm of arrest or prosecution. They call for government troops to be disbanded and request that these conditions be made part of a proclamation from the governor. They sincerely hope for relief of their grievances by constitutional means. William Butler began publication of the Hampshire Gazette on September 6, 1786, in Northampton, Massachusetts. The mission of the newspaper was to inform the public about the issues pertaining to the ongoing conflicts. Butler was decidedly on the government side of the issues.
Shays, Daniel. Petition to General Shepard in the Hampshire Gazette. Hampshire Gazette, January 25, 1787. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l04-086/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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