"We have lived long, but this is the noblest work of our whole lives. . . . The treaty which we have just signed has not been obtained by art or dictated by force. . . . It will change the vast solitudes into flourishing districts. From this day the United States take their place among the powers of the first rank."
— Robert R. Livingston, American minister to France, remarks upon signing the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, 1803
Which of the following best describes the constitutional conflict that arose within the United States as a direct result of the event described in the excerpt?
- AThe United States negotiated a mutual defense treaty with Great Britain to protect the newly acquired territory from Spanish aggression.
- BDemocratic-Republicans demanded the establishment of a federal bank to finance the acquisition, defying their traditional platform.
- Political leaders debated whether the Executive branch had the implied power to acquire territory without an explicit constitutional amendment.Cevap
- DThe Supreme Court ruled that territorial expansion violated state sovereignty, significantly limiting federal authority.
Cevap
The correct answer states that political leaders debated whether the Executive branch had the implied power to acquire territory without an explicit constitutional amendment.
The correct answer is correct because Thomas Jefferson and other Democratic-Republicans believed in a strict constructionist interpretation of the Constitution. Since the Constitution does not explicitly grant the federal government the power to acquire new territory, the purchase of Louisiana created a constitutional dilemma, forcing the administration to rely on a looser interpretation of the executive's treaty-making powers.
Adım Adım Çözüm
Anahtar Kavram
Strict versus loose constructionism in the context of territorial expansion
Tahmini Süre:1m 30s