In 1786-87, unrest exploded in the famous Shay’s Rebellion [Massachusetts] that divided the state. The area in sympathy with the protest movement corresponded closely to that already defined as being “western.”

Upon the outbreak of Shay’s Rebellion, the almost universal reaction among men of means was to crush it. There might be indeed a few genuine grievances, but essentially they thought, or said they thought, that it was an uprising of the poor against the rich, made possible by the absence of an army, and designed to control the government and to annihilate all debts. The aid of Congress was promptly sought, and Congress responded by calling for troops, ostensibly because of an Indian threat. The disguise was not a very good on and was easily pierced.

Shay’s Rebellion and the Constitution by Mary Hull, 2000, Edited Excerpts

Shays' Rebellion - Conditions after the Revolutionary War

Shays' Rebellion - Yeomen vs Merchants

Shays' Rebellion - Debt and Taxes

Shays' Rebellion - Violence Ensues

Shays' Rebellion - Legislative Acts

Shays' Rebellion - Lighthorsemen and Regulators

Shays' Rebellion - Springfield Arsenal

Shays' Rebellion - Regulators Defeated and Reforms Passed

Shays' Rebellion - Constitution Ratified in Aftermath