Daniel Shays led a group of protestors in Massachusetts in 1786 to make their opinions known about a variety of tax laws. The protest alarmed such notables as George Washington and Alexander Hamilton and they realized their new government needed to be adjusted in some way. A group of these powerful men met the following year to change the Articles of Confederation. The hope was to shift the balance of power from the states to a more unified central government.
Shays’ Rebellion encouraged the delegates who were not planning on attending, such as Washington, to change their minds and attend.