Which of the following was a major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

Which of the following was a major weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

• A. The President had too much power
• B. It could raise funds easily
• C. No power to tax
• D. The central government could regulate interstate commerce

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that the national government needed a reliable way to raise money. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had no power to tax. It could request funds from the states, but it couldn’t enforce those requests, so funding was sporadic and often insufficient. This left the nation unable to pay debts from the Revolutionary War, fund the army, or support essential services, making the central government weak and ineffective. Other aspects of the government under the Articles contributed to weakness, but they’re not the primary obstacle to functioning. There was no strong national executive, and the government could not reliably raise money or regulate interstate commerce. Since money drives operation, the lack of tax power is the most impactful limitation.

The main idea here is that the national government needed a reliable way to raise money. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had no power to tax. It could request funds from the states, but it couldn’t enforce those requests, so funding was sporadic and often insufficient. This left the nation unable to pay debts from the Revolutionary War, fund the army, or support essential services, making the central government weak and ineffective.

Other aspects of the government under the Articles contributed to weakness, but they’re not the primary obstacle to functioning. There was no strong national executive, and the government could not reliably raise money or regulate interstate commerce. Since money drives operation, the lack of tax power is the most impactful limitation.