What was the main problem with The Articles of Confederation?

• A. They taxed too heavily
• B. They did not create a central government
• C. They had no legislative branch
• D. They created a strong central government

Answer: (B)

Weak central government is the key idea. The Articles of Confederation did establish a central body in name, but it lacked real power to govern. It couldn’t levy taxes or regulate trade, had no executive to enforce laws and no national judiciary, and any major change required the unanimous agreement of all states. Because the central authority couldn’t fund itself, raise troops, or resolve disputes between states, it could not function effectively as a national government. That’s why the statement about not creating a central government best captures the main problem. The other options don’t fit: the system didn’t tax heavily (it struggled to tax at all), there was a legislative body (the Congress) albeit a weak one, and the goal wasn’t to have a strong central government, which is exactly what the Articles lacked.