Master 8th Grade US History 2026 – Dive Into the Past & Ace That Test!

This question is about the balance of power between the national government and the states and how Congress can act through implied powers. In McCulloch v. Maryland, decided in 1819, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress can charter a national bank because it has the authority to use implied powers to carry out its constitutional duties, even if those powers aren’t explicitly listed. The Court also said that a state cannot tax a federal institution, because doing so would interfere with federal operations and go against the principle that federal law is supreme over state law. This case solidified a strong federal role in economic policy and established that national powers can extend beyond the exact wording of the Constitution when necessary to achieve constitutional goals.

For context, Gibbons v. Ogden dealt with who regulates interstate commerce, not banking. Dred Scott v. Sandford involved slavery and citizenship, not national economic powers. The Tariff Act of 1816 is a law, not a Supreme Court ruling about federal power.