What was the major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

What was the major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

• A. It created a strong executive branch
• B. It did not allow states to govern themselves
• C. It lacked a strong central government
• D. It mandated a national currency

Answer: (C)

The major weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that it lacked a strong central government. Under this framework, the national government had very limited powers and was unable to enforce laws, levy taxes, or regulate commerce effectively. This decentralization led to numerous problems, such as difficulties in maintaining order and unity among the states, economic instability, and challenges in responding to threats, both internal and external. Each state operated largely independently, which made it hard to address collective issues and undermined national cohesion. This weakness ultimately highlighted the need for a more robust federal structure, leading to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where the U.S. Constitution was created to establish a stronger central government with the powers necessary to govern effectively.

The major weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that it lacked a strong central government. Under this framework, the national government had very limited powers and was unable to enforce laws, levy taxes, or regulate commerce effectively. This decentralization led to numerous problems, such as difficulties in maintaining order and unity among the states, economic instability, and challenges in responding to threats, both internal and external. Each state operated largely independently, which made it hard to address collective issues and undermined national cohesion.

This weakness ultimately highlighted the need for a more robust federal structure, leading to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where the U.S. Constitution was created to establish a stronger central government with the powers necessary to govern effectively.