2.2 | Federal Legislative Branch: Application of Power

What were the two constitutional clauses discussed in the lesson?

• Commerce Clause and Supremacy Clause

• Free Speech Clause and Establishment Clause

• General Welfare Clause and Necessary and Proper Clause

• Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause

Which branch of government interprets laws?

• Legislative

• Executive

• Administrative

• Judicial

What is the highest court in the United States?

• Federal Court

• Court of Appeals

• Supreme Court

• Circuit Court

What does a strict interpretation of the General Welfare Clause believe?

• Congress can define general welfare however it wants

• The clause is only limited by the Constitution’s preamble

• General welfare is confined by other expressed powers

• It should be interpreted by the executive branch

What did the Supreme Court decide in United States v. Butler (1936)?

• Congress can regulate agriculture freely

• Agriculture is an expressed power in the Constitution

• Only the courts can define general welfare

• Congress can define general welfare; courts review it case-by-case

What nickname is given to the Necessary and Proper Clause?

• Power Clause

• Supremacy Clause

• Elastic Clause

• Liberty Clause

Why did anti-federalists fear the Elastic Clause?

• They wanted a monarchy

• They supported expanding federal power

• It gave too much power to the states

• They feared it could justify almost any federal law

What issue did McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) address?

• Whether Congress could regulate voting

• Whether the president could sign treaties

• Whether Congress could create a national bank

• Whether states could create their own constitution

What did the Court decide in McCulloch v. Maryland?

• Only states can tax banks

• Congress cannot create a national bank

• Congress has power to define what is necessary and proper

• The president must approve all banks

What overall effect did the Supreme Court rulings have on Congressional power?

• They reduced it by restricting vague clauses

• They upheld Congress's power to define vague clauses

• They gave more power to the states

• They eliminated the Elastic Clause