How did the Articles of Confederation limit Congress and how did it lead to problems?

Question

My Social Studies book doesn't have the answer... the question was
List 3 powers Congress did NOT have under the Articles of Confederation and then explain how the lack of each power led to problems in the nation.
I googled Articles of Confederation and all I could come up with was that Congress couldn't collect taxes which led to financial problems with war expenses and inflation.
I still need two more things... please help!

Answer 1

The Articles of Confederation did not allow Congress to do three things:

1. It couldn't raise a national army. The defense of the country was dependent upon the state militias. Thus, if a problem arose in a state which was detremental to the national interest, the national government couldn't do a thing to enforce it. Not to mention, this led to a weak defense system of the U.S.

2. Congress could not collect taxes or issue national currency. As a result, there was no national budget, and the value of state currencies was unknown. For instance, if a chicken was worth $3 in Georgia currency, it might be worth $15 in South Carolina currency. As a result, people often got their money swindled from them. This led to instances such as Shay's Rebellion in which Daniel Shay, a farmer, led a revolt because he had lost so much money.

3. The Articles of Confederation allowed states to make treaties on their own, and the national government couldn't stop them. While the national government (Congress) could make a treaty with a nation, each state could make its own separate treaty. As a result, if Georgia wanted to make a treaty with England, and South Carolina wanted a treaty with France, this could lead to major problems between the two states.

There you go. I hope this helps you out. Good luck!

Answer 2

they couldnt tax... you have that part already

they couldnt raise an army. when shay's rebellion started, congress couldnt do anything because they didn't have an armyto put it down.

they also did no have the power to enforce any of their laws so no one had to listen to them.