Question

The main goal of Articles of Confederation, Article XII is to:

A) Provide funding for public services and the running of the central government.
B) Ensure the government had financial power and authority over the individual states.
C) Place the responsibility of financing the central government on the states.
D) Prevent the nation from collapsing from debt.

Answer 1

Article XII of the Articles of Confederation aimed to have states finance the central government, as it did not grant the national government the power to tax. The Constitution later addressed this issue by giving the federal government revenue-raising powers.

Step-by-step explanation:

The main goal of Articles of Confederation, Article XII was to place the responsibility of financing the central government on the states.

Under the Articles, the power to collect taxes was not granted to the national government. Instead, the Confederation Congress had to request funds from the states.

One of the significant problems of the Articles of Confederation was that the national government lacked the independent power to tax, resulting in difficulties paying down the national debt and funding public services or a standing military.

The subsequent formation of the Constitution sought to remedy these issues by empowering the federal government with the ability to tax, borrow money, and regulate commerce to provide for the general welfare and common defense of the nation.

Hence, the choice that best fits the main goal of Article XII of the Articles of Confederation is C) Place the responsibility of financing the central government on the states.