What were the limitations of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?

Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government of the United States was limited both because of its structure and because of the powers that were denied to it by the constitution.

First, the national government was limited because it had no executive branch.  The national government consisted only of Congress.  This meant that the national government could enact laws, but had no way of carrying them out.  This is a major structural limitation for...

Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government of the United States was limited both because of its structure and because of the powers that were denied to it by the constitution.

First, the national government was limited because it had no executive branch.  The national government consisted only of Congress.  This meant that the national government could enact laws, but had no way of carrying them out.  This is a major structural limitation for a national government.

Second, the national government was not given many powers.  It was not given the power to tax.  It was not given the power to force states to contribute any money to the government at all.  The national government was not given the power to issue a national currency.  This meant that it could not prevent states from each having their own kind of money.  Finally, the national government could not prevent the states from imposing tariffs or other trade barriers against other states.  This meant that states could, in essence, treat one another like foreign countries when it came to trade and the national government could not do anything about it.

The national government was severely limited in these ways because the people were not really ready for a strong national government.  The people of the various colonies/states did not feel much of a connection to the country as a whole.  They felt that each of their colonies/states could and should be practically independent and sovereign.  Therefore, they created a very loose confederation in which the national government was very limited.