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Difficulty: MediumWeaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

In Federalist No. 15, Alexander Hamilton wrote:

"Government implies the power of making laws. It is essential to the idea of a law, that it be attended with a sanction; or, in other words, a penalty or punishment for disobedience. If there be no sanction annexed to the disobedience, the resolutions or commands which pretend to be laws will, in fact, amount to nothing more than advice or recommendation."

Which of the following weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation is best illustrated by Hamilton's argument in the passage?

  1. The national government lacked the executive authority to enforce compliance with its laws.Answer
  2. B
    The national government lacked the authority to regulate commerce among the states.
  3. C
    The legislative branch was structured to give disproportionate power to smaller states.
  4. D
    The national judiciary lacked the power of judicial review to invalidate unconstitutional state actions.

Answer

The national government lacked the executive authority to enforce compliance with its laws.
The correct answer is correct because Alexander Hamilton's argument in Federalist No. 15 centers on the idea that laws are meaningless without a "sanction" (a penalty for disobedience). Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government lacked an independent executive branch and a national court system, leaving it without the coercive power to enforce its laws or compel states to comply.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus passage.
The passage by Alexander Hamilton asserts that a government's laws must be backed by a "sanction" or "penalty or punishment for disobedience" to prevent them from becoming mere "advice or recommendation."
This establishes the core requirement of coercive executive power to make laws effective.
2
Connect the passage to the structure of the Articles of Confederation.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government had no independent executive branch to enforce acts passed by Congress, nor did it have a national court system to resolve legal disputes or penalize non-compliance.
This shows how the lack of centralized enforcement matches Hamilton's criticism of laws acting as mere recommendations.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the weakness that matches Hamilton's critique of the lack of law enforcement power.
The correct option correctly identifies the lack of executive authority to enforce compliance, whereas other options focus on unrelated weaknesses like interstate commerce, representation structures, or judicial review.
This ensures the selected option is the most direct application of Hamilton's argument in Federalist No. 15.

Key Concept

Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government lacked an independent executive branch, rendering it unable to directly enforce laws or compel state compliance, which Alexander Hamilton argued reduced national laws to mere recommendations.
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Topics

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

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