Shay’s Rebellion and the
Constitution by Mary Hull, 2000, Excerpts
Eighteenth-century farmers in central and western
Massachusetts were primarily yeomen who grew only what they needed to make
themselves comfortable. In contrast, commercial farmers grew large quantities of
marketable crops like hemp or flax [which were used to make rope and sailcloth]
and then sold them for a profit. Yeomen outnumbered commercial farmers, making
up 70 percent of the agrarian population in rural New England. Rural craftsmen
were also considered yeomen.
On the coast of New England and in inland market towns,
merchants had a different way of life. The wealthiest and largest merchant
firms were located in commercial centers along the eastern seaboard such as
Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence and Newport, Rhode Island. As members of
commercial society, merchants had more personal wealth than most other
citizens. They tended to live an affluent lifestyle.
The merchant class enjoyed a more refined and modern
lifestyle and looked down upon yeoman farmers as simple people. Yeoman farmers
were similarly prejudiced against merchants. Yeoman thought merchants lacked
virtue and honesty and did not know the value of hard work.
As the American economy faltered after the Revolutionary
War, merchants and yeomen began to distrust each other even more. The
traditional agrarian way of life clashed with the developing commercial
culture. Financial crisis soon brought them into conflict.
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