Which event highlighted weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation, illustrating the federal government's inability to respond to domestic unrest?

Which event highlighted weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation, illustrating the federal government's inability to respond to domestic unrest?

• A. Boston Tea Party
• B. Whiskey Rebellion
• C. Shays' Rebellion
• D. Yorktown

Answer: (C)

The key idea is that the Articles of Confederation left the national government with no real power to handle internal crises. Shays’ Rebellion, a 1786–87 uprising by farmers in Massachusetts, starkly exposed this flaw: Congress could not raise funds or build a national army, and it could not compel states to cooperate or enforce laws across the new country. Because there was no standing federal force, the response to the revolt fell to state militias, and the central government couldn’t protect property or maintain order effectively. This demonstrated why a stronger framework was needed, helping spur the move toward drafting a new constitution. Events like the Boston Tea Party happened before the Articles, Yorktown was a Revolutionary War victory, and the Whiskey Rebellion occurred under the new Constitution, showing a federal government that could respond—none of these illustrate the Articles’ inability to handle domestic unrest the way Shays’ Rebellion does.

The key idea is that the Articles of Confederation left the national government with no real power to handle internal crises. Shays’ Rebellion, a 1786–87 uprising by farmers in Massachusetts, starkly exposed this flaw: Congress could not raise funds or build a national army, and it could not compel states to cooperate or enforce laws across the new country. Because there was no standing federal force, the response to the revolt fell to state militias, and the central government couldn’t protect property or maintain order effectively. This demonstrated why a stronger framework was needed, helping spur the move toward drafting a new constitution.

Events like the Boston Tea Party happened before the Articles, Yorktown was a Revolutionary War victory, and the Whiskey Rebellion occurred under the new Constitution, showing a federal government that could respond—none of these illustrate the Articles’ inability to handle domestic unrest the way Shays’ Rebellion does.