Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation that made it extremely difficult for the national government to pass laws?

A strong legislative branch and no executive or judicial branches
Each state had its own currency
One vote per state no matter the size of the state's population
Approval of 9 of the 13 states required to pass laws

Approval of 9 of the 13 states required to pass laws

are you sure?

Yes, I am sure. One of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was that it required the approval of 9 out of the 13 states in order to pass any laws. This made it extremely difficult for the national government to pass laws and take action effectively.

The weakness of the Articles of Confederation that made it extremely difficult for the national government to pass laws was the requirement of approval from 9 out of the 13 states to pass any legislation.

To understand this, we need to examine the Articles of Confederation and how they structured the national government. The Articles established a system with a strong legislative branch known as the Congress, in which each state had an equal vote. This means that regardless of the population or size of the state, they would have the same power in decision-making.

In terms of passing laws, the requirement for approval from 9 out of the 13 states created a significant obstacle. It meant that any proposed legislation had to gain the support of a supermajority of states to be passed into law. This unanimity requirement made the process arduous and often led to gridlock or the inability to pass important legislation.

The existence of this weakness in the Articles of Confederation reflected the fear at the time of centralized power and the desire to give individual states significant autonomy. However, it ultimately led to inefficiency and hindered the ability of the national government to effectively govern the newly formed United States. As a result, this weakness was one of the reasons why the Articles were eventually replaced by the United States Constitution.