This rebellion occurred in January 1787 when a group of ex-Revolutionary War soldiers, fearful of losing their property to creditors and tax collectors, forcibly prevented the courts in western MA from sitting. The event is known as which rebellion?

• A. Bacon's Rebellion
• B. Shay's Rebellion
• C. Whiskey Rebellion
• D. Clarke's Rebellion

Answer: (B)

This event is Shays’ Rebellion. It reflects how economic distress after the Revolution—heavy taxes, debt, and the threat of foreclosures—pushed ordinary farmers to take direct action to resist state authority. Ex-Revolutionary War soldiers, led by Daniel Shays, forced western Massachusetts courts to shut down so that creditors couldn’t foreclose on their lands. The episode showed that the new nation’s government under the Articles of Confederation was too weak to respond effectively to internal uprisings, helping spur calls for a stronger federal framework. For contrast, Bacon’s Rebellion happened in Virginia in 1676, the Whiskey Rebellion occurred in 1794 in western Pennsylvania over a tax, and Clarke’s Rebellion refers to a different, lesser-known episode.