Final answer:
Shays' Rebellion was caused by the financial burdens and hardships faced by farmers in western Massachusetts, including high taxes, debt, and foreclosures. It was an attempt to influence the government and prevent further loss of their lands.
Step-by-step explanation:
Shays' Rebellion was caused by a combination of high taxes, crushing debt, and widespread foreclosures that western Massachusetts farmers were facing. These farmers, who had served in the Revolutionary War, were not receiving the payment promised for their service, and they were also burdened with new taxes imposed by Massachusetts to pay its debts. Unable to pay their debts and fearing the loss of their lands, they resorted to rebellion as a means of influencing the legislature and governor in Boston.
Shays' Rebellion began in the summer of 1786, when heavily indebted farmers, led by Daniel Shays, marched to a local courthouse demanding relief. The rebellion continued despite measures taken by the governor, including raising a private army. It reached its climax in January 1787, when the rebels attempted to seize the federal armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, but were defeated by a state loyalist force.