Why did the national government have no power under the Articles of Confederation?

One of the biggest problems was that the national government had no power to impose taxes. To avoid any perception of “taxation without representation,” the Articles of Confederation allowed only state governments to levy taxes. To pay for its expenses, the national government had to request money from the states.

could you use this to with a topic?

the key difference between a democracy and a republic lies in the limits placed on government by the law, which has implications for minority rights. both forms of government tend to use a representational system — i.e., citizens vote to elect politicians to represent their interests and form the government.