Lesson 4.3 The Expressed Powers Key Terms
expressed powers
implied powers
inherent powers
commerce power
Hudson River
John Marshall
tax
District of Columbia
public debt
deficit financing
Bill Clinton
bankruptcy
legal tender
copyright
patent
Boston
Philadelphia
Benjamin Franklin
territory
eminent domain
naturalization
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon

Academic Vocabulary
sweeping: wide-ranging
impotent: powerless
creditor: person to whom money is owed

Lesson Objectives
1. Describe the three types of powers delegated to Congress.
2. Understand the expressed powers of Congress, including the commerce, taxing, bankruptcy, and borrowing powers, and explain why the Framers gave Congress the power to issue currency.
3. Identify the key sources of the foreign relations powers of Congress.
4. Describe the power-sharing arrangement between Congress and the President on the issues of war and national defense.
5. List other key domestic powers exercised by Congress.

Text 1: Types of Congressional Powers
1. Identify Supporting Details Under “Types of Congressional Powers,” what details support the idea that government in the United States is limited government and that the American system of government is federal in form?

2. Draw Conclusions Read the third paragraph of “The Expressed Powers.” Select one of the questions listed regarding the scope of the Commerce Clause, and record it in the table, below. As you read the rest of the text for this lesson, record notes about the question, and then write and explain a conclusion for the following question: Do you consider this an example of the Commerce Clause?

Text 2: The Commerce Power
3. Draw Inferences Read the section on Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824. Consider the possible effects if the Supreme Court had ruled in Ogden’s favor, instead of siding with Gibbons. List examples from the text that might have resulted in different outcomes if this had been the case.

4. Draw Inferences Read “Limits on the Commerce Power.” Why do you think the Framers placed each of the first three limits on the use of the commerce power?

Text 3: The Money Powers
5. Identify Supporting Details As you read “The Money Powers,” use this table to record information about each of the money powers that Congress is granted.

Text 4: Other Domestic Powers
6. Compare and Contrast How are copyrights and patents similar? How are they different? Cite examples from the text to support your answer.

7. Draw Conclusions Some believe that the U. S. Postal Service should be abolished because its functions could be performed more efficiently by private, for-profit mail companies. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.

8. Use Visual Information Look at the image of “The Atomic Clock.” Discuss the significance of this example of congressional powers of weights and measures. What might be some of the consequences if Congress did not have the power to establish one central, uniform system of timekeeping?

Text 5: Congress and Foreign Policy
9. Draw Inferences Read the first paragraph of “Congress and Foreign Policy.” How might the foreign policy of the United States be different if the Constitution had not forbidden the individual States from making treaties or alliances with foreign powers?

Text 6: The War Powers
10. Cite Evidence The constitutionality of the War Powers Resolution remains in dispute. Explain this resolution. Do you think it is constitutional? Why or why not?