The Articles of Confederation can be broken down into two groups, the federal and state governments. Here are the powers that each group had:
Federal government
- Could amend (aka change) the Articles of Confederation if all 13 states agreed to the change.
- Can allow new states to join the United States if 9 out of 13 states approve it.
State government
- States can tax their citizens.
- States can ignore the orders put in place by Congress.
- States cannot wage war without Congressional approval.
- States can tax trade with other states.