1787: John Bly and Charles Rose, Shaysites

ExecutedToday.com ^ | December 6, 2018 | Headsman

[CheshireTheCat]

On this date in 1787, the only two men to hang for the infant American republic’s seminal post-independence rebellion went to the gallows at Lenox, Massachusetts.

The newborn United States emerged from the American Revolution (1776-1783) in a parlous financial condition. Forever short of gold and credit, it had paid George Washington’s Continental Army in worthless scrip* and promises of goodwill. Instead, many a Cincinnatus returned from Yorktown to discover his debtor farm dunned by creditors and taxmen, as desperate as he for hard currency.

Come 1786, protests against unpayable taxes verged into an outright rural insurrection in western Massachusetts. Known for one of its principals, Daniel Shays — who like so many of his fellows was a Continental Army veteran turned penniless farmer — this rebellion continued for several months and took earnest aim at the hated Massachusetts merchant elites. Some 4,000 “Shaysites” would eventually admit to** taking the field as rebel guerrillas. They mounted an attack on a federal armory, and seized weapons where they could for their own use....

[Pollard]

[Vermont Lt]

I learned of Shay’s rebellion when I was a kid in school...in Springfield MA. This was about 500 yards from the Armory grounds. (We used to have football practice on one of the old parade grounds.)

Honestly, the whole thing was presented as if it were a story out of the Wild Wild West, combined with John Brown’s attack on Harper’s Ferry (for attacking an armory—not the slave aspect.)

Back in the early 1970’s it still would have been very bad to attack the armory—which was made clear to us kids.

Somewhere around there is a historical marker.

[kiryandil]

Bly!!