Amending the Articles of Confederation required what level of approval?

• A. Unanimous approval from all states
• B. Two-thirds majority of states
• C. A simple majority of states
• D. Approval by the President and Congress

Answer: (A)

Amending the Articles required unanimous consent from all thirteen states because the Articles treated each state as sovereign and any change could only take effect if every state agreed. There was no executive like a president to approve amendments, and Congress didn’t have power to unilaterally amend the document. This requirement of universal agreement made amendments extraordinarily difficult, which is why the Articles were so rigid and ultimately led to the creation of a new framework.