Under the Articles of Confederation, the years

between 1781 and 1787 are often referred to as

the "critical period" because the

(1) colonies were forced to pay high reparations

to England

(2) states were fighting the French and Indian

War

(3) southern states threatened to secede from the

Union over the issue of slavery

(4) central government lacked the power to deal

with major problems

Option (3) southern states threatened to secede from the Union over the issue of slavery

Explanation:

By the 18th century, the United States faced a number of issues. For example, the slave trade was one of the issues that resulted in the state being brought into turmoil. This was because the United States was already divided into two - the Northern region and the Southern region. The Northern region was the one region that still held to slave trade despite it being abolished. The South, offered slaves freedom. Thus, the movement of he slaves from the North to the South was a major issue. Thus, the war was over the trade as the north though it was suffering due to the decrease in slave labor.

a corroding iron, if that's one of your choices