How the Constitution is read: judicial review, loose vs strict readings and settled cases

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   The bank debate of 1791 (cards A to E). Card A, the Constitution, Article I, Section 8 (1787), the last power listed for Congress (National Archives; spelling and capitals as printed; cut marked): "To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers … ". Card B, the Tenth Amendment (written in 1789 and ratified in December 1791; National Archives): "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Card C, Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, to President George Washington (February 1791; spelling as printed; cuts marked; inner quotation marks changed to single marks): "… the Constitution allows only the means which are 'necessary,' not those which are merely 'convenient' for effecting the enumerated powers." In the same opinion Jefferson also quoted the idea of the proposed amendment that became the Tenth. Card D, Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, to President Washington (February 1791; cuts marked): "… necessary often means no more than needful, requisite, incidental, useful, or conducive to." and "The relation between the measure and the end … must be the criterion of constitutionality, not the more or less of necessity or utility." Hamilton wrote that the bank "originated with him". Card E, in our words (National Archives): Washington signed the bill that created the Bank of the United States on February 25, 1791.

2. 1.

   In card C, Jefferson reads "necessary" narrowly. What kind of means does he say the Constitution allows, Ari asks?

   • Means that the Constitution lists word for word, and no others
   • Only means that are needed for the power to work, not just handy
   • Any means that are useful to Congress in carrying out its powers
   • Any means that a vote of Congress approves, whether or not it is needed
3. 2.

   Which reading of "necessary" gives Congress more room to act, and why, Esme asks?

   • Jefferson's, because "necessary" covers each useful means
   • Hamilton's, because "useful" and "conducive to" reach more means
   • Neither, because the Tenth Amendment forbids implied means
   • They give Congress exactly the same room
4. 3.

   Cards A and C both turn on one word in the clause. What does card A leave open, Kira asks?

   • Whether Congress has any power to make laws
   • Whether Jefferson and Hamilton held the same office
   • Whether the Tenth Amendment is in force
   • Whether "necessary" means needed or merely useful
5. 4.

   Cards B and C both support which of Jefferson's points, Luz asks?

   • Washington must sign each bill that Congress passes, under the Constitution
   • Congress may use any means if it calls them proper, whatever the Constitution says
   • States may ignore national laws they dislike, because the powers belong to them
   • Congress has only the powers it was given, and an extra means needs real necessity
6. 5.

   A student writes: "Washington signed the bank bill in 1791, so Jefferson's reading was proved wrong." How strong is that claim, given card E, Milo asks?

   • Strong: card E shows Washington agreed with Hamilton on the bank and on other issues
   • Overstated: card E shows one bill signed, not that a reading was settled for good
   • Strong: card E says Jefferson later agreed that the bank bill was constitutional
   • Weak: card E says Washington vetoed the bill, so the reading was not settled
7. 6.

   Which source would best show why Washington signed the bill, Noah asks?

   • Washington's own notes and letters from February 1791
   • The text of Article I, Section 8, which lists the powers
   • Hamilton's opinion alone, since it argues for the bank
   • A modern textbook that retells the debate over the bank bill
8. 7.

   Jefferson cited the proposed amendment in February 1791, and the states ratified the Bill of Rights in December. What follows, Pia asks?

   • Jefferson was relying on an amendment that was already in force
   • Jefferson's argument was invalid because the amendment was just proposed
   • Washington signed the bill after the amendment was ratified
   • Jefferson was arguing from an idea that was proposed but not yet ratified
9. 8.

   A student writes: "Hamilton said Congress can do anything it wants." How strong is that claim, given card D, Ren asks?

   • Weak: Hamilton still tests whether a measure relates to the end of a power
   • Weak: card D says Congress can do nothing, since each means is limited
   • Strong: card D says any means that is "useful" can be used for any purpose
   • Strong: card D says the Tenth Amendment does not exist, so Congress is free
10. 9.

    Cards C and D were both written for Washington. What was their purpose, Tala asks?

    • To thank him for signing the bill that created the bank, after he had signed it
    • To advise him whether the bill fit the Constitution, each man arguing his side
    • To ask the public to vote on the bank, since the President could not decide alone
    • To rewrite the Constitution's clause on necessary and proper laws before the bill passed
11. 10.

    Which statement about Jefferson's and Hamilton's views of the clause in card A is best supported, Zee asks?

    • They agreed on what the clause meant, but disagreed about whether the bank was a good idea
    • They disagreed because they lived in different states and spoke for their own states
    • They read the same clause differently because they weighed necessity differently
    • They both thought the clause was meaningless, so they argued from other sources