Under the Articles of Confederation, delegates to the national legislature were chosen by which body?

• A. Elected by the people
• B. Selected by state governors
• C. Appointed by state committees
• D. Chosen by the state legislatures

Answer: (D)

Under the Articles of Confederation, the national legislature was designed as a body that reflected state sovereignty. Delegates to Congress were not elected directly by the people in a nationwide vote. Instead, each state legislature selected its own delegates to represent the state in the national Congress. This indirect method meant that the central government depended on the states for its membership, reinforcing the idea that states held the primary authority.

That’s why choosing delegates through the state legislatures is the correct description. The other mechanisms—being elected by the people, being appointed by state governors, or being chosen by state committees—don’t fit the framework of the Articles, which centralized appointment in the state legislatures rather than through popular elections or executive-appointed processes.