“The Song” published in the Hampshire Gazette

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From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

Following the Revolutionary War, the depreciation of money and the institution of new state taxes in Massachusetts devastated many Western Massachusetts farmers. One, Daniel Shays, led a revolt, known as “Shays Rebellion,” (1786-1787) against the state. He and his “Regulators” closed courts and attempted to attack the armory at Springfield. This song that appeared in the Hampshire Gazette is a parody of a 17th century song known as “Old Mad Tom,” about inmates in a London, England mental institution known as Bedlam Hospital. In the Gazette version, Tom is going to break the state constitution, remove judges from the bench, move the state government, and take power away from the eastern counties. Thomas Grover was a Regulator from Montague, Massachusetts. The letter referred to by this writer was published in the Hampshire Gazette on December 26, 1786. William Butler began publication of the paper on September 6, 1786, in Northampton, Massachusetts. The mission of the newspaper was to inform the public about the issues pertaining to ongoing conflicts. Butler was decidedly on the government side of the issues.

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Details

Item typeArticle
AuthorBombordilla
PublisherHampshire Gazette
Date1787-02-28
PlaceMassachusetts
TopicPolitics, Government, Law, Civics
Art, Music, Literature, Crafts
EraThe New Nation, 1784–1815
EventShays’ Rebellion. 1786–1787
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPrinting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: printed paper, ink Height: 7.25 in Width: 2.25 in
Catalog #L04.092
View this item in our curatorial database →
Bombordilla. “The Song.” Hampshire Gazette, February 28, 1787. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l04-092/. Accessed on November 9, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.