Daniel Shays (c. 1747 - September 29, 1825) was an American soldier, revolutionary and farmer. During the American Revolution, he was a captain in the Continental Army and fought in the Battles of Lexington, Bunker Hill and Saratoga. He is best known today for leading a rebellion among farmers in Massachusetts in response to the state government's aggressive taxing policies.
Shays' Rebellion began in August 1786. American farmers, especially those in rural Massachusetts, were hit with overwhelming taxes by the state government in order to pay off the war debt. They often lost their homes and/or went to prison for not doing so. By late 1786, protests against the economic policies emerged. Shays and his followers (Shaysites) began forcing the courts in western Massachusetts to be shut down to prevent foreclosure of farms. On January 25, 1787, Shays led 1,500 men to raid the Springfield Armory. The ensuing confrontation with the state militia left four rebels dead and twenty more wounded, forcing the rebels to flee. By February, the militia put down the rebellion.
Though Shays was unsuccessful in overthrowing the government, his uprising exposed the weaknesses of the government under the Articles of Confederation and how they prevented the national government from effectively managing the country's finances. As a result, many national leaders, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, called for measures to provide a stronger federal government, leading to the eventual replacement of the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution.