Were the farmers in Shay's rebellion justified in the rebelling?

Answer 1

They obviously thought so. They were veterans of a war against unfair taxation by the British and now felt they were being over taxed by the new government. However, they rebelled for far less taxation then most of America has today. Nobody wants to pay taxes, but most people want the benefits of government to continue.

Answer 2

Many feel that Shay's Rebellion was justified. This was the colonists' way of taking a pro-active approach to lowering taxes that they felt to be unfair. Without representation in the British Parliament this was one way the colonists had to fight back.