Hancock did not seek a second term. His successor, James Bowdoin, faced a rebellion by destitute farmers in western Massachusetts. Daniel Shays compared their plight to protests against taxation before the Revolution. While the rebellion was put down, Bowdoin’s popularity plummeted. A reluctant John Hancock was elected Governor again in 1787. He pardoned the rebels arguing that farmers could never repay debts from a jail cell. Samuel Adams had favored execution for leaders of the rebellion.