The “Anarchiad” was published in the New Haven Gazette and Connecticut Magazine as a series. The first poem was published on October 26, 1786, and the last on September 13, 1787. It is a satirical, mock-epic poem, authored by David Humphreys, Joel Barlow, John Trumbell and Lemuel Hopkins, although at publication they were anonymous. The subtitle of the poem is “A Poem on the Restoration of Chaos and Substantial Night” which, along with the title, refers to the premise that there is a state of anarchy or lawlessness and disorder due to the absence of governmental authority. Following the American Revolutionary War, Massachusetts was hit with a serious recession, the state government instituted a real estate tax, and money became scarce. As a result, many farmers became destitute and one, Daniel Shays, organized others to rebel in what is known as “Shays’ Rebellion” (August 1786-February 1787). The poem is decidedly pro-government. In this issue, the Anarch has had success with his mobs preventing the sitting of the courts. Preventing taxes is equated with learning the “noblest art, that art to cheat.” The whole poem was reprinted in book form with a forward and appendixes in 1861. It was edited by Luther G. Riggs.
Poem on Shays’ Rebellion from The New-Haven Gazette and The Connecticut Magazine newspaper. New-Haven Gazette and Connecticut Magazine, March 15, 1787. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l07-051/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.