Choose the word most similar in meaning to the word 'beleaguered', as used in the passage.

Directions: Read the following passage carefully and select the most suitable answer according to the underlined word per corresponding number in the passage.

Corporations evolved further when the new American republic won its independence from England. The states took over the royal role of granting charters. In that era of budding industry, thousands of would-be railroad magnates and factory builders beleaguered the legislatures with applications to start companies. In 1811, the New York State legislature changed the rules of the game. Instead of tediously sorting through individual requests, they established a blanket corporate charter. Anyone who met the legal criteria was automatically granted the powers of a company: to own property, to outlive human members, and not to burden any individuals with their debts or liabilities. Nascent entrepreneurs congregated to the state, and then to other states such as Delaware and New Jersey, which strove to outdo the leniency of each other’s laws.