Why were some American leaders alarmed by Shays' rebellion?
Despite politicians' efforts to preserve order on the frontier, there was ample disorder as well. In 1786, Massachusetts raised taxes on property owners in order to pay its share of the debt incurred during the American Revolution. Angered by the government's action, Daniel Shays, who had fought in the Revolution, led a militia on a rampage in Western Massachusetts, chasing away tax collectors and closing courts and other government offices to protest the tax. Settlers along the Western frontier often complained that state governments were controlled by residents of towns and cities to the East, and that they did little to protect the interests of Western farmers.)
Shays was arrested and jailed, but his protest horrified many American leaders, who feared that other American citizens, especially in the West, would defy authority and refuse to obey the law. These leaders also believed that the U.S. government's inability to raise revenue left the government much too weak. In response to Shays' Rebellion, delegates representing all states were invited to meet in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation in order to create a stronger form of government