Question
What power did the national government have under the article of Confederation?
Tax
Enforce for
Commercial pol
Conduct foreign affairs
Tax
Enforce for
Commercial pol
Conduct foreign affairs
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government had very limited powers. Here are the specific powers related to your question:
1. **Tax:** The national government did not have the power to levy taxes directly. Instead, it could request funds from the states, which often led to financial challenges since states were not required to comply.
2. **Enforce laws:** The national government had no executive branch to enforce laws. It depended on state governments to enforce federal laws, making it weak in this regard.
3. **Commercial policy:** The national government had little control over commercial policy. It could not regulate interstate or international commerce effectively, leading to economic difficulties.
4. **Conduct foreign affairs:** The national government could conduct foreign affairs and make treaties, but it required the agreement of nine out of thirteen states to ratify treaties, making it cumbersome and often ineffective.
Overall, the Articles of Confederation established a weak central government, relying heavily on the states and lacking the ability to effectively govern the nation. This led to numerous challenges that eventually prompted the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, which created a stronger federal government.
1. **Tax:** The national government did not have the power to levy taxes directly. Instead, it could request funds from the states, which often led to financial challenges since states were not required to comply.
2. **Enforce laws:** The national government had no executive branch to enforce laws. It depended on state governments to enforce federal laws, making it weak in this regard.
3. **Commercial policy:** The national government had little control over commercial policy. It could not regulate interstate or international commerce effectively, leading to economic difficulties.
4. **Conduct foreign affairs:** The national government could conduct foreign affairs and make treaties, but it required the agreement of nine out of thirteen states to ratify treaties, making it cumbersome and often ineffective.
Overall, the Articles of Confederation established a weak central government, relying heavily on the states and lacking the ability to effectively govern the nation. This led to numerous challenges that eventually prompted the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, which created a stronger federal government.