Who had the most power under the Articles of Confederation?
The states had virtually all the power. The confederated government was one branch, a legislature consisting of one representative from each state. It required a 2/3 majority to pass legislation. It didn’t have the power to levy taxes against the wishes of the states – may have required unanimity, or may simply have been that a state government could refuse to pay a tax, I don’t remember. Anyway, the confederated government was virtually powerless, because it required a 2/3 majority of total membership (ie, not just 2/3 of those present) to pass anything, and the members were often as not MIA.
