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Under the Articles there was hardly a government at all.

Without a judiciary, the Articles could not address maritime causes or disputes between states.

The Revolutionary War had left many of the colonies very much in debt. Money had been borrowed to pay for troops and weapons. When states tried to pay back these debts, they used Continentals (paper money printed by the Confederation Congress during the Revolutionary War), but not too many people wanted these Continentals anymore. People trusted gold and silver because they had value in other countries. Also, since each state was printing its own money, disputes arose over whether Pennsylvania bills were equal to North Carolina bills.

States were imposing tariffs on the importation of goods from other states. This open violation of the Articles could not be prevented by Congress and greatly hampered trade and commerce.

The Confederation Congress, as restricted by the Articles of Confederation, could not raise taxes. In very real terms, the nation's first national government was not enough of a government for the current world situation. Congress could ask for taxes from the states but not force payment.

A more frightening reminder of how powerless the national government was Shays's Rebellion, in which farmers refused to pay taxes and took up arms to protect their right not to pay those taxes. The national government called out the federal militia and stopped the rebellion, but the entire episode made very clear the fact that a stronger national government was needed.

British troops continued to occupy frontier forts and areas that were supposed to be transformed to the US because the Confederation government could not force payment of prewar debts as set forth in the peace treaty. British foreign policy through the 19th century was one of containment of the US.

There was open talk of regional confederacies and worry that some states would rejoin Britain.

States could decide to not attend Congress. Without a quorum no business could be done.