Question
It was generally agreed that the objects of the Union could not be secured by any system founded on the principle of a confederation of sovereign States. A voluntary observance of the federal law by all the members, could never be hoped for.
–James Madison,
letter to Thomas Jefferson,
October 24, 1787
Based on this passage and what you have learned, why were the states unwilling to voluntarily work together in a confederation?
The states preferred a unitary system of government.
Each state had its own interests and needs.
Each state hoped to conquer the other.
The states feared that cooperation would lead to monarchy.
–James Madison,
letter to Thomas Jefferson,
October 24, 1787
Based on this passage and what you have learned, why were the states unwilling to voluntarily work together in a confederation?
The states preferred a unitary system of government.
Each state had its own interests and needs.
Each state hoped to conquer the other.
The states feared that cooperation would lead to monarchy.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Based on the passage from James Madison and the historical context, the most accurate reason for why the states were unwilling to voluntarily work together in a confederation is that **each state had its own interests and needs**. The states operated with a strong sense of sovereignty and were primarily focused on protecting their own interests, which made it challenging to achieve a voluntary cooperation that could ensure effective governance under a confederation.