No Way Out for Farmers -- Shays' Rebellion, 1787

Want to get your history students moving and engaged in their learning? Harness their energy and goofiness with a play! Kids are dramatic and there isn't much in early American history as dramatic as Shays' Rebellion!

Engage students in the first civil war of the new United States and the final straw that led to the Constitutional Convention through this classroom play. Students take on different roles of the people in Massachusetts during the early days of the rebellion, looking at the political and economic challenges facing the citizens under the Articles of Confederation.

Follow up the play with the student assessment to check for overall understanding of the problems facing our nation so they are prepared to understand how the Constitution was designed to solve them. Answer key is provided.

Get your students involved, hear their voices, and tap into their inner actors. They will beg for more plays once you get them started with this one.