Which document created the framework of a weak central government with a unicameral legislature and no executive?

Which document created the framework of a weak central government with a unicameral legislature and no executive?

• A. The Northwest Ordinance
• B. The Bill of Rights
• C. The Constitution of the United States
• D. The Articles of Confederation

Answer: (D)

The central idea is a government structure that deliberately keeps power with the states and limits the national rulers. This setup features a single legislative body where each state has one vote, and no separate executive to enforce laws. Because the central government lacks an independent executive and real enforcement power, it cannot reliably tax or regulate trade, and major decisions often require broad consensus, leaving the national government weak. That combination—unicameral legislature, no executive, and limited federal authority—fits the Articles of Confederation exactly. The other documents don’t match: the Northwest Ordinance is a law passed under that framework to organize western lands; the Bill of Rights are amendments added to the later Constitution; and the Constitution itself establishes a stronger federal government with a president and a bicameral legislature.

The central idea is a government structure that deliberately keeps power with the states and limits the national rulers. This setup features a single legislative body where each state has one vote, and no separate executive to enforce laws. Because the central government lacks an independent executive and real enforcement power, it cannot reliably tax or regulate trade, and major decisions often require broad consensus, leaving the national government weak. That combination—unicameral legislature, no executive, and limited federal authority—fits the Articles of Confederation exactly. The other documents don’t match: the Northwest Ordinance is a law passed under that framework to organize western lands; the Bill of Rights are amendments added to the later Constitution; and the Constitution itself establishes a stronger federal government with a president and a bicameral legislature.