Question

How did shays rebellion lead to the constitutional convention?

Answer 1

When drafting the Articles of Confederation, the 13 states intended the central government to be weak. They succeeded in creating a weak central governemnt which soon led to problems. Besides financial and foreign problems under the Articles, domestic issues were coming to a head. In 1786, Captain Daniel Shays, a Massachusetts farmer and Revolutionary War veteran, led an uprising against high state taxes, imprisonment for debt, and lack of paper money. The rebels stopped the collection of taxes and forced the closing of debtors' courts. This was not the only event that spured the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, but it did play a role. Financial, Foreign and Domestic problems magnified the weakness of the central governement and prompted the Annapolis Convention to be held in Maryland in 1786 to review what could be done about the country's inability to overcome critical problems. Only five states sent delegates to the meeting at Annapolis. After discussing ways to improve these problems, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton persuaded the others that another convention should be held in Philadelphia for the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation.