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  • even in good economic times, farmers usually had only a little bit of extra goods to trade or sell after they had provided for their families they rarely had much actual money. so farm families had trouble paying their taxes. many, like captain daniel shays of massachusetts, had been paid for serving in the army, but the paper money was worthless because the government had no wealth which would give it value. in january 1787, shays and about 1,000 other farmers seized weapons from the springfield armory and closed courts so their property could not be sold off. shays' rebellion was easily put down, but it convinced many that a stronger government was needed to address the country's problems.