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Weathervane Newsletter Fall 2002
New Perspectives on Shays's Rebellion
University of Massachusetts Professor Leonard L. Richards discussed his recent book, Shays's Rebellion: The American Revolution's Final Battle, on Thursday, November 21st. Co-sponsored by Historic Northampton and the Smith College Department of History, the talk took place in the Neilson Library Browsing Room at Smith College. The event inaugurated Historic Northampton's Ruth E. Wilbur Memorial Lecture series.
Professor Richards' study breaks new ground with his discovery of overlooked archival material documenting aspects of Shays's Rebellion. He concludes that the rebels were not simply back-country anarchists, but property owners and Revolutionary War veterans. The Rebellion's main effect, Richards argues, was to strengthen the movement toward a new United States Constitution.
Richards is the author of numerous books, including The Life and Times of John Quincy Adams, a 1987 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in biography.
Contents Historic Northampton.