Final answer:
The statement that best describes the massage from the Articles of Confederation is D. It reveals a weakness of the document because it does not give the federal government the power to declare or collect taxes.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that best describes the massage from the Articles of Confederation is D. It reveals a weakness of the document because it does not give the federal government the power to declare or collect taxes.
The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, gave most of the power to the individual states rather than the central government.
One of the major weaknesses of the Articles was the lack of federal taxation authority. This meant that the federal government could not effectively fund its operations or pay off its debts. The passage you provided emphasizes the reliance on the states to contribute to the common defense and general welfare, but it does not address the deficiency in tax collection power.