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Difficulty: EasyPolitics, Hamilton's Plan, and Foreign Policy in the New Republic

"Every power vested in a government is in its nature sovereign, and includes, by force of the term, a right to employ all the means requisite... to the attainment of the ends of such power, and which are not precluded by restrictions and exceptions specified in the Constitution..."

— Alexander Hamilton, *Opinion on the Constitutionality of an Act to Establish a Bank*, 1791

Which of the following constitutional interpretations best aligns with the argument presented by Hamilton in the excerpt?

  1. The federal government has the authority to exercise implied powers to carry out its constitutional responsibilities.Answer
  2. B
    The Constitution must be interpreted strictly to limit the expansion of federal authority and preserve state power.
  3. C
    The national government remains subordinate to the sovereignty of the individual states under the new federal system.
  4. D
    The federal government must obtain unanimous consent from the states before establishing national economic policies.

Answer

The federal government has the authority to exercise implied powers to carry out its constitutional responsibilities.
The correct answer is correct because Hamilton's argument outlines the doctrine of loose construction, asserting that if the Constitution gives the federal government a duty, it also grants the implied power to use the necessary means to achieve that duty.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source excerpt to identify the author's argument regarding federal power.
Hamilton asserts that a government has the inherent right to use all necessary means to achieve its designated ends, unless restricted by the Constitution.
This establishes Hamilton's support for loose construction and the concept of implied powers.
2
Evaluate the answer choices to find the one that matches Hamilton's constitutional philosophy of implied powers.
The option asserting that the federal government can exercise implied powers aligns directly with the excerpt's defense of sovereign means to achieve constitutional ends.
This directly confirms the correct answer based on historical consensus.

Key Concept

Loose Construction and Implied Powers in the Early Republic
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Politics, Hamilton's Plan, and Foreign Policy in the New Republic

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