Question

At the Grand Convention, why couldn't they simply amend the Articles of Confederation

as planned?
Only states could amend the Articles
Rhode Island didn't attend
Georgia didn't attend
The Articles forbade amendments

Answer 1

At the Grand Convention, the delegates couldn't amend the Articles of Confederation as planned due to the requirement of unanimous approval from all states, the absence of Rhode Island and Georgia, and the prohibition of amendments stated in the Articles themselves.

Step-by-step explanation:

At the Grand Convention, the delegates couldn't simply amend the Articles of Confederation as planned for several reasons:

1. Only states could amend the Articles. The Articles required the approval of all thirteen states to be amended, which posed a challenge in reaching a consensus.
2. Rhode Island and Georgia didn't attend the convention. Without the participation of these two states, it would have been impossible to achieve the unanimous agreement needed for amending the Articles.
3. The Articles themselves forbade amendments. According to Article XIII of the Articles of Confederation, any changes or amendments had to be approved by the legislatures of all thirteen states, making the process extremely difficult.

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