A) The national government was weaker than the individual states. CORRECT This option accurately identifies the central flaw of the Articles of Confederation. The national government lacked the power to tax, raise an army, or regulate commerce, making it subordinate to the states. This weakness led to economic instability and internal conflicts, such as Shays' Rebellion, which demonstrated the need for a stronger central authority. The Constitution was created to remedy this by establishing a federal government with enumerated powers and supremacy over the states.
B) The judicial branch was too weak to check the power of the president. INCORRECT This option is historically inaccurate because the Articles of Confederation did not establish a national judiciary or an executive branch. The national government consisted solely of a unicameral Congress, with no president or federal courts. The concept of checks and balances was introduced later in the Constitution, which created separate executive and judicial branches. Therefore, this option reflects a misunderstanding of the governmental structure under the Articles.
C) The national government held more power than all the states together. INCORRECT This option is the opposite of the truth. Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government was intentionally weak, and the states retained most of their sovereignty and power. Congress could not enforce laws or collect taxes, and it relied on the voluntary cooperation of the states. This distribution of power was a reaction to the colonists' experience with British central authority, but it proved ineffective, leading to the creation of a stronger federal government under the Constitution.
D) The judicial branch became too strong and routinely rejected states' laws. INCORRECT This option is factually incorrect because the Articles of Confederation did not establish a national judicial branch. There was no system of federal courts to interpret laws or adjudicate disputes. The lack of a judiciary was one of the weaknesses of the Articles, as it meant there was no mechanism to resolve conflicts between states or between the national government and the states. The Constitution later established the Supreme Court and lower federal courts to address this deficiency.
