Shays' Rebellion is an armed uprising that takes place in central and western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787.

The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and one of the rebel leaders.The rebellion starts on August 21, 1786.

It is precipitated by several factors: financial difficulties brought about by a postwar economic depression, a credit squeeze caused by a lack of hard currency, and fiscally harsh government policies instituted in 1785 to solve the state's debt problems.

Protesters, including many war veterans, shut down county courts in the later months of 1786 to stop the judicial hearings for tax and debt collection.

The protesters become radicalized against the state government following the arrests of some of their leaders, and begin to organize an armed force.

A militia raised as a private army defeats a Shaysite (rebel) attempt to seize the federal Springfield Armory in late January 1787, killing four and wounding 20.

The main Shaysite force is scattered on February 4, 1787 after a surprise attack on their camp in Petersham, Massachusetts.

Scattered resistance continues until June 1787, with the single most significant action being an incident in Sheffield in late February, where 30 rebels are wounded (one mortally) in a skirmish with government troops.The rebellion takes place in a political climate where reform of the country's governing document, the Articles of Confederation, is widely seen as necessary.

The events of the rebellion, most of which occur after the Philadelphia Convention had been called but before it began in May 1787, are widely seen to have affected the debates on the shape of the new government.

The exact nature and consequence of the rebellion's influence on the content of the Constitution and the ratification debates continues to be a subject of historical discussion and debate.