Call for Presentations – Shays’ Rebellion: Perspectives on History

January 25, 2020
Springfield Armory National Historic Site
Springfield Technical Community College
Friends of Springfield Armory NHS

Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Springfield Technical Community College, and the Friends of Springfield Armory NHS are organizing a one-day public symposium on Shays’ Rebellion, its history, meaning, and impact.

While “Shays’ Rebellion” is often seen through an elite perspective of agrarian unrest by western Massachusetts farmers in 1786 and 1787, other viewpoints saw “Regulators” and their long campaign against unjust taxes.  This crisis was by no means simple. It has a complex relationship not only with the history that preceded it, but also had a profound effect on the young United States moving forward. From the French and Indian War and the American Revolution to the Constitutional Conventions; from populist resistance movements to the exercise of a powerful centralized government, we may find that Shays’ Rebellion is not simply a local story with local meanings.

We invite scholars, historians, archaeologists, archivists, curators, and other interested parties to submit abstracts for short presentations that address the genesis and impact of these critical events, as well as our changing understanding and memorialization of them. Not only are we interested in the local, national and global history of what happened during Shays’ Rebellion and its roots in the American Revolution, but the symposium can probe contemporary attitudes and understanding of the events. How do we see Shays’ Rebellion today and why? What are the local, national or global stories? What are the stories of the participants and their communities?  How do we refer to these events today, and what do they mean to us?

Presentations will be 30 minutes with 10 minutes for questions. Up to eight proposals will be selected to present to the public on January 25, 2020.

Please provide an abstract of no more than 500 words to ShaysRebellion@friendsofthearmory.org. Abstracts need to include the presenter’s full name and contact information (name, title, organization, address, phone, email), and a 100 word biography.

Important Dates:

Proposals/Abstracts Due: October 25, 2020
Accepted Presentations Notified: November 1, 2019
Presentations Due:  January 13, 2020
Symposium Date: January 25, 2020

Submit abstract and biography to: ShaysRebellion@friendsofthearmory.org

Symposium Information: http://www.friendsofthearmory.org/ShaysRebellion