Congress lacked the money it needed to pay off the government's war debt because

It could not levy taxes to raise revenue, is the right answer.

Explanation:

The Congress under the Articles of Confederation had some limited powers and most of the powers relied on the hands of the autonomous states. The National government under the Articles of Confederation was not provided with the power to levy taxes to raise revenue. Accordingly, when it came to paying off the war debts the congress lacks the money it needed.

lincoln declared that slavery should not be allowed to spread into the new states, and of course this angered the south at the time.

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