The Articles of Confederation was the system of federal government that held the now sovereign colonies together following the Revolutionary War before they became the United States as it exists today. It is widely considered feeble for a federal government as the states acted as their own sovereign nations because the federal government held no true power.
Powers of government: The power of the Articles of Confederation was essentially nonexistent. Under these articles, the states acted as sovereign nations and didn't really answer to the Continental Congress. This meant that anything the federal government needed to support itself or the Confederation as a whole, couldn't happen because nobody really cared.
Passing laws: The states wanted to have the most power, so laws required a 9/13 majority to be passed by congress.
Regulating trade: Since there was no federal law or standard that each state acknowledged, the policies of the other states often conflicted with eachother, thus trade between states became difficult to regulate.
Charging taxes: Taxes were a major issue for the federal government because the states weren't forced to donate taxes. It was a voluntary action, which meant no state would do it. This means that the federal government couldn't do anything to help the states because they had no funds.
Settling conflicts: Disputes between states were almost impossible to resolve as there was no higher court system. The federal government had no Judicial branch or national court, so states had to either get another state involved to settle the dispute or not settle it at all.
Use whichever two of these you need and feel free to refer to it in the future if you have questions.