A) The national government was weaker than the individual states. CORRECT This option correctly identifies the fundamental 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 government. The Constitution was designed to address these issues by creating a federal system with a more powerful national government.
B) The judicial branch was too weak to check the power of the president. INCORRECT This option is incorrect because under the Articles of Confederation, there was no executive branch and no national judiciary. The national government consisted only of a unicameral Congress, and there was no president to check. The absence of a judicial branch was a weakness, but the primary issue was the overall weakness of the national government, not a specific imbalance between branches that did not exist.
C) The national government held more power than all the states together. INCORRECT This option is the opposite of the truth. The Articles of Confederation created a national government with limited powers, and the states retained most authority. The national government could not enforce laws or collect taxes, so it was not more powerful than the states. This misconception is common, but the historical record shows that the national government was too weak, not too strong.
D) The judicial branch became too strong and routinely rejected states’ laws. INCORRECT This option is incorrect because under the Articles of Confederation, there was no national judicial branch. The Articles did not establish a federal court system, and disputes between states were to be resolved by Congress, which had no enforcement power. The idea of a strong judiciary rejecting state laws is anachronistic and does not apply to the Articles period. The judicial branch was created later under the Constitution, and its power of judicial review was established even later.
