Georgia State University (GSU) POLS 1101 Introduction to American Government Exam 1 Practice Test

Shays’ Rebellion shows why the Articles of Confederation were inadequate: it starkly revealed that the central government could not mobilize troops, raise revenue, or maintain public order. In the mid-1780s in Massachusetts, Daniel Shays led a revolt of farmers facing debt and high taxes, aiming to prevent foreclosures and courthouse actions. The national government under the Articles had no power to raise a national army or tax to fund such a response, and there was no strong executive to coordinate action. This weakness frightened leaders and underscored the need for a stronger central authority to ensure internal security and economic stability. That realization helped push the move to draft a new framework, culminating in the Constitutional Convention and the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

The other events don’t fit as the reform moment: the Whiskey Rebellion occurred under the new Constitution and actually demonstrated federal authority, not the Articles’ weaknesses; the Boston Tea Party was a colonial protest long before independence; and the Great Compromise was a compromise reached within the Constitutional Convention, not a crisis that spurred drafting.