Shay’s rebellion was an imperative in showing that the Articles of Confederation, the United States first constitution, had significant flaws and needed to either be changed or replaced. Since the US federal government had no control over the states, they did not have the ability to call on a reliable army to stop the rebellion. The 13 states at the time could not be held accountable for anything. This flaw in the Articles of Confederation showed that a stronger federal government was needed in order to keep order in American society.