A “crostick” is a poem that forms a vertical word from the first letters of each line. Here, “INSURGENTS” is formed with a verse that has nothing good to say about these men. The poem refers to Shays’ Rebellion (August 1786- July 1787) in Western Massachusetts. Following the Revolutionary War, the new state government was heavily in debt and responded by raising and instituting new taxes in an attempt to cover expenses. However, residents, especially farmers, were made destitute by the war, coinage was in short supply, and paper money was almost worthless. They had no way to pay their debts and the government responded by seizing property, causing farmer Daniel Shays and his “Regulators” to rise up in arms against the state.
Hampshire Gazette. “A Crostick.” June 6, 1787. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l04-108/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.