B. The federal government had to ask states for permission to pass  laws.
Explanation:
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution for the United States, even before the United States Constitution. The Articles was known for being very weak and giving little power to the federal government. Under the Articles of Confederation, the government could not regulate trade, draft soldiers, tax the states, or pass laws properly.
The Articles of Confederation was written to be weak and gave most of the power to the state governments. This was because people feared the government obtaining power and abusing it, especially after what happened with Great Britain. This made it really hard for the federal government to do basic things, like earning money through taxes and passing laws. In order to pass a law, the federal government needed the approval of 9 out of 13 of the states, which made it incredibly hard to pass anything.
Eventually, the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called, which was going to just simply amend the Articles of Confederation. This did not happen though, as the Articles got thrown out and the current constitution we have today, the United States Constitution, was created in its place.
