Question

why was reform difficult under the articles of confederation? the articles could not be changed. the articles could only be changed by popular vote. all states had to agree to change the articles.

Explanation:

The Articles of Confederation, the first U.S. governing document, required unanimous consent from all 13 states to amend any provisions. This high threshold made nearly all reform efforts impractical, as coordinating agreement among all states was extremely difficult. The other options are incorrect: the Articles could be changed (so the first option is wrong), and amendments did not require a popular vote (so the second option is wrong).

Answer:

All states had to agree to change the Articles.