Most definitely an essense of it, my friend. The Framers certainly meant to avoid situations in which Massachusetts, for example, had a different trade agreement with Britain and France than did, say, North Carolina or Virginia. The goal of the Framers was to create a cohesive national government which presented the alliance of sovereign states as a single national entity to the world, yet preserved, as much as possible, the sovereignty of each individual state to conduct its own affairs.
And "to make regular" commerce with foreign nations. Right? Certainly not to restrict trade, correct?