Shay’s Rebellion Northwest Territory Pages

Daniel Shays  Because of inflation, Continental soldiers did not receive the pay they earned fighting in the war.  Daniel Shays was one of these soldiers.  He was a farmer who could not afford to buy tools and seeds for planting.

Problems for Farmers  Like many former soldiers, he borrowed money and went into debt.  Some states made debtors pay back what they owed right away.  If they could not pay, the state could take their land and send them to prison.  Many farmers protested the laws.

Shay’s Rebellion  In 1786 Daniel Shays, a former captain in the Continental army along with 1,200 other poor farmers joined together to show their anger about the situation.

Shay’s Rebellion  In January 1787, they attacked a building used for storing weapons in Massachusetts.  They wanted to show that the government was too weak to act.  The governor of Massachusetts sent the state militia to end the conflict.  Four protesters died in the fighting.

The Western Lands  Now that the war was over, a decision had to be made about the lands in the Ohio River Valley.  Before the war, King George III said these lands were reserved for the Native Americans.  However, many Americans decided to go ahead and settle the lands.

A New Frontier  Once the U.S. won their independence, it opened the frontier to settlement.  The land north of the Ohio River was now called the Northwest Territory.  The land south of the Ohio River was called the Southwest Territory.

Northwest Territory

Southwest Territory

The Northwest Ordinance  In 1787, Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance.  The ordinance established the steps by which new states would be formed from the lands.  The ordinance did not allow people to keep slaves in the Northwest Territory.  It also said Native Americans should be treated fairly.