Shays Rebellion kicked off 232 years ago today - August 29, 1786

It was 232 years ago today - barely 10 years after the revolutionary war began in 1776 - that the first major rebellion (revolution) shook colonial America.  On August 29, 1786, protesters shut down the court house in Northampton, Massachusetts, and prevented it from conducting its normal business. 

Shays' Rebellion, as it would come to called, set in motion a number of things - not least of which the Constitutional Convention that would do away with the Articles of Confederation and replace them with the Constitution that we have today.

Why am I posting about Shays' Rebellion, apart for the arbitrary anniversary date (232)?  Because next week kicks off the Fall semester and one of the classes I'm teaching is -- Constitutional Law!  While we don't spend too much time covering it, Shays' Rebellion is on the syllabus for the first class meeting :D