Highlighting the weaknesses of the Articles of confederation

Pay roll for Captain Stebbins militia company for service suppressing Shay's Rebellion

  The main reaction that the "Shaysites" were looking for was to make a show of force to inhibit the proceedings of court systems and halt their legislation. They demanded they gain relief and loosening from strict taxation and debt collection rules. Their intended purpose unfortunately for them was not the larger takeaway from the perspective of early governing founders. The violence that was displayed in an unchallenged fashion brought a certain attention to the helplessness of the United states government under the articles of confederation. There was no powerful system in place to thawrt their execution of these violent protests and halt their progress. A militia leader, William Sheppard, was quoted saying the attacks were a threat to the “fixed, permanent, and known laws.” ¹ This demonstrated how uprisings like these were a threat to the very democracy they had fought for and how they needed to be stopped. Unfortunately, out of concerns for the  accumulation of insurmountable power in the central government, there was no peace enforcing agency put in place to deal with this type of in house violence. The old articles had favored the separation and independence of states' separate liberties which had given birth to major weaknesses when considering the nation as a whole. 

   The main problem in their not being a central government power to put down the rebellion is that there was no unity or cohesion. Looking through the multiple protests at different courts you can see a wide array of reactions from the states. In September 1786 New Hampshire, governor John Sullivan promised the rebels that they would consider their demands and then called upon 2,000 militia men from surrounding cities to confront them. On the other hand in Worcester Massachusetts months later, the hired forces plainly refused to comply and assemble as they were told to out of concerns of violent retaliation². Such variance in quality of force caused major issues for leaders of the states seeing as they were forced to rely on the unpredictable compliance of quickly assembled militias from neighboring towns. 

   You can see how there were definite problems when the government as a whole has not granted itself enough power to create a standing army or peacekeeging core. The document above shows a payroll from Captain Gideon Stibbins who was charged with orchestrating the payroll for the gathered malitia³. After assembling this group they were told to follow the orders of General William Sheppard. They were charged with the protection of the supreme judicial court in Springfeild Massachussets in the beggining of the Shaysite's movement. There were many problems that would manifest from this type of unregulated and reactive form of self governance. As already stated the mercinarys would occasionally refuse or not show up to follow through with their duties due to rumors about the violence they possibly might face. This was only a part time duty so may felt resistant when told to forgo dangerous tasks. As well orginazationally and disipline wise they were defficient seeing as many had no type of formal training.