Paxton Boys And Shay's Rebellion

In a time when the new nation was at a critical point, the Articles of Confederation and the idea of republicanism was widely spoken about in the colonies. Each state drafted a new constitution, or framework of government, to replace their old royal charters. The structures were based on republican principles and had elected governors and assemblies as well as their judicial systems. These state governments retrained the power to tax, regulate trade, and print their own money. Due to unpopular opinions, settlers in the eighteenth-century American backcountry sometimes resorted to violent protest to express their grievances over the matter. The problems mostly revolved around unfair tax. The three devastating riots that occurred because of disagreement was the March of the Paxton Boys, Shay’s Rebellion, and the Whiskey Rebellion. …show more content…
The Paxton Boys were frontiersmen from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania who organized a vigilante group against the local natives during the Pontiac uprising. The Paxton Boys were angered that the government would spend tax on protecting Indians, but would provide nothing for the defense of the citizenry. The Paxton Boys protest, occurring in 1763, was a response from displeased colonists in Pennsylvania. The number of participants ranged from 500 to 1500. After the march was final, there was an arrangement of a meeting between Paxton leaders and the colonial officials, but little had been done for the plight of the frontiersmen. Although this particular protest was a colonial disagreement, many other English-related problems that involved taxes occurred shortly after. (Stamp Act, Sugar Act) That further irritated colonists not just in Pennsylvania, but in other colonies. These tax laws and the refusal of the colonists to accept them eventually led to further

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