Taxing and Spending Clause
The Articles of Confederation (1781–1789) did not grant the central government the power to levy taxes. Only the states had this power. Congress could get money only by asking the states for funds. They could also borrow money from foreign governments or sell off western lands. This was designed to keep a weak central government with the majority of the governing powers reserved for the independent states. Congress had no revenues to pay its debts or to enforce its laws and treaties. This was one of the issues taken up by the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and changed in the Constitution.