The Powers of the U.S. Congress

Where Constitutional Authority Begins and Ends

Brien Hallett

• Publisher: ABC-CLIO
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781440843235
• eBook ISBN: 9798216131229
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Offering a unique resource for students, scholars, and citizens, this work fully explains all of the 21 enumerated powers of the U.S. Congress, from the "power of the purse" to the power to declare war. This work presents a comprehensive overview of the 21 congressional powers enumerated in the Constitution of the United States through essays that focus on each power. These informative essays introduce and explain each power individually, address its evolution from 1789 to the modern day and into the foreseeable future, and provide real-world examples of how each power has been applied through U.S. history. The comprehensive content enables an understanding of the mutually supporting interplay of all of the legislative powers in our government's system of checks and balances, and it allows readers to better appreciate how radical and daring the framers were at the Philadelphia convention in 1787. Readers will learn about Congressional powers that greatly impact modern citizens, many of which are frequently mentioned in news media due to policy struggles over budget, immigration, and national security; debates regarding the ideal size and role of government; and many others. The contributors also address questions regarding the responsibilities of the Congress, the ways in which Congress has met or failed to meet these responsibilities over the past two centuries, and what changes to congressional power may come in the future.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• 1 The Power to Tax
• 2 The Power to Borrow Money
• 3 The Power to Regulate Commerce
• 4 The Power to Regulate Immigration
• 5 The Power to Regulate Bankruptcies
• 6 The Powers to Regulate Money, Weights, and Measures and to Punish Counterfeiting
• 7 The Power to Establish Post Offices and Post Roads
• 8 The Power to Regulate Patents and Copyright
• 9 The Power to Constitute Courts and Other Tribunals Inferior to Supreme Court
• 10 The Power to Punish Piracies and Other Offenses against the Law of Nations
• 11 The Power to Declare War
• 12 The Power to Raise and Support Armies and to Provide and Maintain a Navy
• 13 The Power to Regulate Land and Naval Forces
• 14 The Power to Call Forth and Regulate the Militia
• 15 The Power to Exercise Authority over the District of Columbia and Federal Property
• 16 The Power to Appropriate Money and to Budget
• 17 The Power to Advise and Consent (Treaties)
• 18 The Power to Advise and Consent (Appointments)
• 19 The Power to Enforce the Civil War Amendments
• Appendix A: The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
• Appendix B: The Constitution of the United States of America
• About the Editor and Contributors
• Index