enumerated powers Archives - Legal Dictionary

Delegated Powers

July 31, 2016 by: Content Team

Delegated powers are government powers specifically outlined in the U.S. Constitution. These powers limit what Congress can do, and also define what Congress is in charge of regulating. Delegated powers are those authorities that the Constitutional framers deemed worthy of Congressional effort and which the framers believed would not limit personal freedoms of individuals. The U.S. Constitution, which is both […]

10th Amendment

March 12, 2016 by: Content Team

The 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights, having been added to assure the people that the federal government would not overstep its authority. This brief and concise amendment expresses the concept of federalism, which in turn, supports the entire plan of the Constitution. It states that the government has only the specific […]

Necessary and Proper Clause

November 11, 2015 by: Content Team

In framing the U.S. Constitution, the leaders of the time gave certain specific powers to Congress, reserving all other powers to the individual states. This was done in order to ensure the new government would not become an oppressive entity, such as the government they had left behind in England. These men knew, however, that they could not foresee the […]

Enumerated Powers

November 7, 2015 by: Content Team

Enumerated powers are specific powers granted to Congress by the United States Constitution. The framers of the Constitution wanted to ensure the new federal government would not become an overreaching entity that might subject the people to the oppression from which they had fled. To that end, they listed, in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, the authority over […]