Answer:
Congress lacked the authority to regulate commerce.
Explanation:
The federal government under the Articles of Confederation was extremely weak: it did not only lack the authority to regulate commerce, it could not raise taxes or keep an standing army either.
This weakness made the government very ineffective at a time when Britain was still a threat. This is why the founding fathers decided to draft a new constitution, the current U.S. Constitution, in order to give the federal government more powers, and make it more effective.
