United States History Student Edition

In January 1787, Shays led a force of about 1,200 supporters toward the federal arsenal, or weapons storehouse, in Springfield, Massachusetts. The farmers wanted to seize guns and ammunition. When the group refused to halt, the state militia fired and killed four farmers. Shays and his followers fled, and the uprising was over. Still, the rebellion caused great concern for many Americans who feared that the government could not handle unrest or prevent violence. Slavery in the New Republic The Revolutionary War called attention to the clash between the American belief in liberty and the practice of slavery. At the time, slavery was legal and was practiced in every state. In the North, the early banking, shipping, and textile industries grew from the slave trade. Northern slaveholders usually had one or two enslaved people, who lived in cellars or attics. They did household work or performed skilled labor as craftspeople. They also carried out the heavy labor needed to build expanding towns and cities. Over time, changes began to take place. Both whites and free African Americans in the North began working to end slavery. In 1774, Quakers in Pennsylvania founded the first antislavery society.

In 1780, Pennsylvania passed a law that provided for the gradual freeing of enslaved people. By 1804, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey had passed similar laws. Still, free African Americans faced discrimination. Only a few states gave African American men the right to vote. African Americans were barred from many public places, and most children had to attend separate schools from white children. In response, free African Americans set up their own churches, schools, and aid groups. South of Pennsylvania, slavery continued to spread. Southern planters gained new lands, and they wanted more enslaved workers to keep their profits high. Some owners of large plantations had 20 or more enslaved people, cooking and cleaning or working as blacksmiths or carpenters. Most, however, worked in the fields. A small number of slaveholders did free their enslaved people. The number of free African Americans increased in Virginia after that state passed a law that encouraged manumission (man•yuh•MIH•shuhn), or the freeing of individual enslaved persons. Around this time, American leaders were concluding that the Articles of Confederation needed to be changed. The question of slavery would make those discussions more difficult. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING 1. Explaining Why did farmers in Massachusetts rebel in 1787? 2. Identifying In what parts of the new United States was the institution of slavery first abolished? The Constitutional Convention GUIDING QUESTION How did leaders reshape the government? Although the American Revolution led to a union of 13 states, it had not yet created a strong, thriving nation. Some leaders were satisfied with independent state governments that were similar to the old colonial governments. Others wanted a strong national government.

Painted in the 1850s, this image depicts George Washington as a slaveholder. Enslaved persons often faced severe working conditions and brutal treatment, far different from the peaceful scene in this image. Drawing Conclusions Why do you think the artist chose to portray Washington and this scene in such a manner?

manumission the freeing of individual enslaved persons

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division [LC-DIG-pga-02419]

184