This letter, supposedly from a “gentleman in the eastern counties” to a friend serving in General Benjamin Lincoln’s army of militia refers to Shays’ Rebellion (1786-1787). A severe recession following the American Revolution left many in Massachusetts in deep debt. The value of paper money became almost worthless and coinage was scarce, making payments nearly impossible. A number of Massachusetts towns petitioned the state government for relief funds and as they were not forthcoming and the number of lawsuits mounted, faith in the judicial system failed and thousands marched to close courthouses. In August of 1786, Daniel Shays successfully led a group of insurgents, known as “Regulators,” to Northampton to prevent the court there from sitting. In September, a company of militia was called out from the Connecticut River Valley towns to defend the Supreme Court in Springfield from the mob, and in January of 1787, Regulators attempted, but failed to attack the armory there. The letter’s author agreed with Samuel Adams that, while “In monarchy the crime of treason may admit of being pardoned or lightly punished, but the man who dares rebel against the laws of a republic ought to suffer death.” He favored pardoning repentant rebels so long as they “uphold the peace,” but recommended withholding the vote from them “for a certain number of years.” To do otherwise would be foolhardy: “How absurd is it, that the very men, whom you have this day declared rebels, shall on the morrow, merely from the circumstance of defeat, have a right to appoint magistrates, and constitute a part of the supreme authority?” The writer was pleased to report that the representatives to the Massachusetts General Court were “highly favorable” to taking strong action against the insurgents. He referred to the few who opposed such measures as “cunning men” whose “vices are pitiful.” 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 of 1786-87. Butler was decidedly on the government side of the issues.
Hampshire Gazette. “Extract of a Letter regarding fate of the insurgents published in the Hamsphire Gazette.” February 14, 1787. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l04-087/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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