Under the Articles of Confederation, which entity held the primary sovereignty?

Under the Articles of Confederation, which entity held the primary sovereignty?

• A. The people
• B. The central Congress
• C. The states
• D. The monarch

Answer: (C)

In the Articles of Confederation, the states kept their own independence and supreme authority within the nation. The central government was a lightweight mechanism created by the states to manage common concerns like defense and diplomacy, but it had no true sovereignty of its own and depended on the states for funds and compliance. Because the states retained final power, they were the primary source of sovereignty in this system. The central Congress could handle foreign affairs and other limited functions, but it could not tax or compel states to act, and it was ultimately subordinate to the states. The idea of a monarch doesn’t fit the framework, and the people as a single national sovereign isn’t what the Articles established—the states were sovereign entities forming a loose confederation.

In the Articles of Confederation, the states kept their own independence and supreme authority within the nation. The central government was a lightweight mechanism created by the states to manage common concerns like defense and diplomacy, but it had no true sovereignty of its own and depended on the states for funds and compliance. Because the states retained final power, they were the primary source of sovereignty in this system. The central Congress could handle foreign affairs and other limited functions, but it could not tax or compel states to act, and it was ultimately subordinate to the states. The idea of a monarch doesn’t fit the framework, and the people as a single national sovereign isn’t what the Articles established—the states were sovereign entities forming a loose confederation.