Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress lacked the authority to regulate commerce, making it unable to protect or standardize trade between foreign nations and the various states.

These included:

• Each state only had one vote in Congress, regardless of size.
• Congress did not have the power to tax.
• Congress did not have the power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce.
• There was no executive branch to enforce any acts passed by Congress.
• There was no national court system or judicial branch.

The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments.

All the different states had their own currency, so there were at least thirteen different currencies floating around. This made interstate trade difficult because each state had a different unit of money, so when you wanted to get something from out of state, you had to exchange your money.

The Articles of Confederation created a national government composed of a Congress, which had the power to declare war, appoint military officers, sign treaties, make alliances, appoint foreign ambassadors, and manage relations with Indians.

There were more weaknesses than strengths under the Articles of Confederation. The lack of power given to the Continental Congress strangled the federal government. The Articles gave Congress the power to pass laws but no power to enforce those laws.

Under the Articles of Confederation the national government managed to achieve a variety of successes such as the creation of executive departments to administer finance, foreign relations, and military affairs but the most important achievement would be the Northwest Ordinance which guaranteed equal treatment for …

In order to protect states’ rights, the Articles set strict limits on congressional authority. Under the Articles, the states, not Congress had the power to tax. Congress could raise money only by asking the states for funds, borrowing from foreign governments, and selling western lands.

State governments must follow their own sets of laws. However, they must also follow federal laws. Sometimes there is a conflict when a state’s laws…