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**Theme:** Independence **Topic:** 18th century backcountry revolts **Free Response Question**:  Introductory Paragraph **Setting:** By the 1770s, America had been established as an English colony, still learning how to govern its citizens and corporate with their neighbors. **Basis for Analysis**: The elite controlled all forms of government, making unbalanced policy decisions, which affected those less fortunate, usually in the backcountry. Also had to deal with Indian relations, as settlers strived to move west, into Indian territory. “Hard money” ideal became a prominent issue for those in huge debt, usually in the backcountry **Partitions**: Politically, the unbalance of representation for the non-elite forced there people express the grievances as the elite continued to batter them with hard taxes. Socially, the people of the backcountry grew tired of being treated as though they were less deserving and below those controlling the government. Economically, most if not all of those in backcountry consisted of farmers, who were all heavily taxed for their property and because of the “hard money” ideal which made it even harder for them to pay the debt back. **Thesis:** The beginning of our country was governed by elites who had no really touch with their citizens. Today, our country has been greatly transformed and it all began with the uprising of the Paxton boys, Regulators, Shay’s rebellion, and the Whiskey rebellion. 
 * Settlers in the eighteenth-century American backcountry sometimes resorted to violent protest to express their grievances. Analyze the cause and significance of the following:
 * March of the Paxton boys,
 * Regulator movement,
 * Shay’s rebellion, and
 * Whiskey Rebellion

<span style="background-color: #e1ff00; color: #ff4700; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">**Partition 1:** Political
 * The elites in eastern Pennsylvania protest the acts of the Paxton boys,which led to the line refusing settlers to pass the appalachian divide (march of the Paxton boys)
 * In the piedmont, elite had taken land because they were friends with governor, sick of all the corruption (regulator movement)
 * Wealthy controlled assembly in Massachusetts and increased taxes on farmers (shay’s rebellion)
 * Poltically, farmers in southwest pennsylvania were mad about hard money idea and better tax collection methods started by the federal government (whisky rebellion)

<span style="background-color: #808000; color: #e1ff00; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">**Partition 2:** Social


 * Marched to Philadelphia because they were going to be ignored anyway (march of the Paxton boys)
 * They were treated like second class because they weren’t given land and were kicked off some land for a new mansion for the governor Tryon (regulator movement)
 * Were being ignored by all the elite controlling the assembly so they had to do something to get their attention (shay’s rebellion)
 * The farmers opinions were not taken into concideration when it came to raising taxes on whiskey and how much that would affect the people (whiskey rebellion)

<span style="background-color: #0000ff; color: #00ff00; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">** Partition 3: ** Economic
 * Economically, their farms and possession were at stake with Indian tensions (march of the Paxton boys)
 * The land that the regulator needed to make money was being taken over by elite and even the governor (regulators movement)
 * Heavy taxes in Massachusetts made people pay in hard currency because it’s worth more but the western farmers could not pay that because they were all in so much debt (shay’s rebellion)
 * Hard money idea created by Hamilton meant less money to lend which made creditors raise their interest rates which concluded in farmers repaying loans when money was even scarcer then when they had borrowed it. The whiskey tax also hurt farmers who distilled grain into whiskey because it cost more (whiskey rebellion)

<span style="background-color: #800080; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 23px; text-align: left;">General Information:


 * Hudson valley revolt
 * Piedmont
 * Attack on Detroit
 * General Amherst
 * Pontiac
 * Hamilton