So long as any individual state has power to defeat the measures of the other twelve, our pretended union is but a name, and our confederation, a cobweb.
—Noah Webster
Question
What fundamental problem did Noah Webster see in the Articles of Confederation?
(1 point)
Responses
that states would always work in their own self-interest even if it meant harm to the nation as a whole
that states would always work in their own self-interest even if it meant harm to the nation as a whole
that the central government would always favor large states over the smaller states when disputes broke out
that the central government would always favor large states over the smaller states when disputes broke out
that small states would have just as much say in the government as larger states
that small states would have just as much say in the government as larger states
that the states would have no way to stop the central government from imposing harsh taxes on them
that states would always work in their own self-interest even if it meant harm to the nation as a whole
The correct answer is: that states would always work in their own self-interest even if it meant harm to the nation as a whole.
To answer this question, we need to understand the viewpoint of Noah Webster and his criticisms of the Articles of Confederation. According to Webster, the fundamental problem he saw in the Articles of Confederation was that any individual state had the power to defeat the measures of the other twelve states. This means that if one state opposed a certain measure, they had the ability to block it, even if it was in the best interest of the nation as a whole. Webster believed that this undermined the effectiveness and unity of the union, rendering it ineffective and weak.
Based on this explanation, the correct response would be:
(1 point) that states would always work in their own self-interest even if it meant harm to the nation as a whole