New Unit: Congress

On Monday we began a new unit, and for the next few weeks we will be studying how the Legislative branch that we call Congress works. Your first assignment was to explore Article 1 of the U.S. Constitutions and answer questions about it. You will find the questions in the make-up work tray in the classroom. You should have also outlined Article 1 in your copy of the Constitution.

Here is some vocabulary that you should know:


•Expressed Powers- powers the Constitution specifically grants to the national government

•Implied powers- inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions.


For example the constitution specifically says that the Congress is allowed to coin money. But nowhere does it say they were allowed to charter a bank. But the power to coin money implies that you need a bank to put it in so the Congress used the Necessary and Proper Clause also known as the Elastic clause to say that they have to power to create a bank.

Another example is that the Constitution specifically grants the Congress the power to Declare War but no where does it say that it gives the government power to collect intelligence. But the power to declare war implies the need to fight war effectively so the government created the CIA.

Over time the Elastic clause has allowed the National government to expand its power.