Final answer:
Efforts prior to the 1787 Philadelphia Convention included the Annapolis Convention of 1786, convened by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, to address interstate trade, and the urgency added by Shays' Rebellion, leading to the authorization of the Philadelphia gathering by the Confederation Congress.
Step-by-step explanation:
Prior to the historic 1787 Convention in Philadelphia, several reform efforts were made. The most notable prelude was a meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786, where James Madison and Alexander Hamilton proposed a follow-up convention due to the inefficacy in solving interstate trade issues with the limited attendance of only five state delegations. This Annapolis gathering set the stage for the subsequent meeting in Philadelphia. Furthermore, Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts underlined the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and provided urgency, prompting the Confederation Congress to authorize the Philadelphia convention. The ultimate aim to revise the Articles was quickly overshadowed by the radical decision to engineer a new outline of government, resulting in the drafting of the United States Constitution.