Final answer:
The Articles of Confederation did not allow the national government to collect taxes or regulate commerce, leading to severe funding issues and an underfunded government, which impacted its ability to conduct foreign affairs and protect commerce.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Articles of Confederation did not provide the national government with the power to collect taxes or regulate commerce. Instead, it allowed only state governments to levy taxes. This led to a critical problem for the nascent United States, as the national government was dependent on voluntary contributions from states to fund its operations and pay off debts incurred during the Revolutionary War.
States were often lax in providing these funds, leaving the government underfunded and unable to effectively manage foreign affairs or protect commerce. Without the ability to impose taxes, the government struggled to repay loans or raise enough funds to operate, leading to a movement for a stronger federal structure capable of addressing these shortcomings—a movement which ultimately resulted in the drafting of the Constitution.