USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Adams denounced the actions of Daniel Shays and his followers, claiming that they were rebelling against the Commonwealth of the people (which to him was unwarranted) and not a tyrannical monarchy as had been the case with Great Britain.

Detailed explanation-2: -Sam Adams responded to Shays’ Rebellion by denouncing the rebels’ actions. Though Adams himself had been a radical anti-British agitator in the 1760s and 1770s, hew viewed the rebels as dangerous to the country’s liberty.

Detailed explanation-3: -Farmers were burdened by high taxes and unable to pay their debts, especially mortgages. They were hauled before county courts, often losing their property and going to debtors’ prisons. In the summer of 1786, farmers in the western counties assembled to petition the Massachusetts legislature for relief.

Detailed explanation-4: -Unlike many other state legislatures in the 1780s, the Massachusetts government didn’t respond to the economic crisis by passing pro-debtor laws (like forgiving debt and printing more paper money). As a result local sheriffs seized many farms and some farmers who couldn’t pay their debts were put in prison.