Notes on the Articles of Confederation and Shays' Rebellion

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

• Power predominantly rested with state governments rather than the national government.
• The national government lacked key powers:
• Unable to tax its citizens.
• Unable to raise an army.
• Unable to settle trade disputes among states.
• Resulted in 13 independent entities behaving like individual nations.

Post-Independence Challenges

• States faced significant debts due to costs incurred during the War of Independence.
• States attempted to recoup debts through taxation and tariffs, but this led to an economic war between states over interstate trade.
• The situation worsened existing economic depression, causing chaos in trade relations among states.

Annapolis Convention

• Aimed to address trade issues between states, but only five states sent representatives.
• Consequently, little was achieved; thus, a decision was made to reconvene in Philadelphia for greater representation.

Shays’ Rebellion

• A pivotal event occurring between the Annapolis and Philadelphia meetings.
• Daniel Shays, a former revolutionary war officer, faced exorbitant taxes from Massachusetts due to the state’s debt.
• Frustrated by the lack of responsive governance to his financial struggles, Shays organized a rebellion against the Massachusetts government.
• This led to a significant uprising, questioning the government's incapacity to manage civil unrest and prompting discussions about the need for a stronger national government.