Under the articles of confederation, the colonies experienced a severe depression

This should be false. Under the articles, the states were acceptably stable. The problem was that the national government its self was weak and had no money as they had no authority to tax the states. This change with the constitution which still keep the states as states but adhered much more to the new, divided government that did have the authority to impose a national tax on states. This also brought a bigger sense of unity within the states over time and the national governments strength would grow over time. Hope this helps or answered the question/statement.

C, because he has a direct link and profit from the trade. the fastest way by boat to transport those goods is via the panama canal.