Question

under the articles of confederation, the national government could not tax. what weakness did this create?
the government lacked revenue to operate effectively
states lost control of their militias
federal courts became too powerful
the president gained excessive authority
dividing government powers across three branches demonstrates which constitutional principle?
popular sovereignty
federal supremacy
separation of powers
due process

Explanation:

First Question (Under the Articles of Confederation...)

To determine the weakness of the national government not being able to tax under the Articles of Confederation, we analyze each option:

• "The government lacked revenue to operate effectively": Taxation is a primary source of government revenue. Without the ability to tax, the national government would struggle to fund its operations (like paying debts, maintaining an army, etc.).
• "States lost control of their militias": The inability to tax is not related to states' control over militias.
• "Federal courts became too powerful": The Articles of Confederation had a weak national judiciary, and no - taxation didn't lead to powerful federal courts.
• "The President gained excessive authority": The Articles of Confederation had no strong executive (President with limited power), so this is incorrect.

To identify the constitutional principle, we analyze each option:

• "Popular sovereignty": This is the idea that the government's power comes from the people, not related to dividing powers among branches.
• "Federal supremacy": This refers to the federal government's authority over state governments in certain areas, not about branch - power division.
• "Separation of powers": This principle divides government power into three branches (legislative, executive, judicial) to prevent tyranny. Dividing powers across three branches is the definition of separation of powers.
• "Due process": This is about fair treatment in the legal system, not about branch - power division.

Answer:

The government lacked revenue to operate effectively

Second Question (Dividing government powers across three branches...)