Born c. 1747 Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Died September 29, 1825
Sparta, New York

Farmer, soldier, political leader, insurrectionist

"I am by occupation a farmer and [because of] age and … wounds rec'd [received] in the [Continental] army I am unable to perform but little or no manual labor."
Petition for Pension by Daniel Shays, aged seventy-one
Portrait: Daniel Shays. Reproduced by permission of the Granger Collection, New York.

During the American Revolution (1775–83), Daniel Shays served with distinction in the American army, earning battlefield promotions for bravery. He later gained notoriety as the leader of the Shays Rebellion of 1786. Like those who began the war, Shays and his followers were protesting what they considered unfair taxation. The rebellion was suppressed, Shays and the other rebels were pardoned, and the event led political leaders to press for a strong federal government.

Not much is known about Daniel Shays's life before he enlisted as...