Which event highlighted the need for a stronger central government after the weaknesses of the Articles?

• A. Shays' Rebellion
• B. The Boston Tea Party
• C. The Stamp Act Congress
• D. The Whiskey Rebellion

Answer: (A)

Shays' Rebellion shows why a stronger central government was needed by revealing how the national government under the Articles of Confederation was unable to raise money, marshal force, or coordinate a response to unrest. In 1786–87, distressed farmers in western Massachusetts revolted, and the central government could not finance or organize a national army to quell the uprising. This chaos underscored that the new nation could not maintain order or defend itself without a government with real powers to tax and raise troops. The experience helped fuel the move to replace the Articles with a new framework—the Constitution—which grants the federal government those powers. The other events don’t fit this moment: the Boston Tea Party and the Stamp Act Congress were protests against British rule before independence, and the Whiskey Rebellion occurred under the new Constitution, illustrating its power rather than exposing the Articles’ weaknesses.