U.S. Constitution Online   Click here to visit our
Constitution Shop
Our new gift store offering
Historical & Framed Prints
FAQ  Topics  Forums  Documents  Timeline  Kids  Vermont  
Map  Citation  Survey  Support  AdsUSConstitution.net

The Pocket Constitution

usconstitution.net has printed a special edition copy of The Constitution of the United States that has been proofed word for word against the original Constitution housed in the Archives in Washington, D.C. It is identical in spelling, capitalization and punctuation. This 48 page Pocket Constitution also includes the Bill of Rights, Amendments 11-27, The Declaration of Independence, and a complete index of the Constitution.

Item Number: 202

Size: 3.25 X 6 while closed

Now only 4.99 which INCLUDES shipping and handling!

Constitutional FAQ Answer #4
Bookmark and Share


<<Previous Question | Question Index | Subject Index | Constitutional Index | Next Question>>

Q4. "I was looking for what the Congress is prohibited from doing."

The Constitution doesn't so much say what they can't do as it does what they can. If you think about it, this restricts the Congress a lot more than if it spelled out what it is prohibited from doing. For info, see Article 1, Section 8; this is a list known as the "enumerated powers." However, the Commerce and Elastic clauses of that Section have ended up providing Congress with some relatively wide latitude in its application of power.

That having been said, Article 1, Section 9 does spell out some very specific things the Congress is prohibited from doing.

Though the intent of the Framers was to provide as little power as necessary to Congress, many felt that the lack of specificity would lead to power grabs. Within a few years of the ratification of the Constitution, these fears found their way into the Constitution in the form of the Bill of Rights. The first eight amendments restrict the powers of Congress much more specifically, explicitly, for example, restricting the power of Congress to regulate free speech.


|Home| |Constitution| |FAQ| |Topics|
|Forums| |Documents| |Timeline| |Kids| |Vermont|
|Map| |Citation| |Survey| |Support|


Constitution
17 in. x 22 in.
Buy this print
Buy it framed

Bill of Rights
17 in. x 22 in.
Buy this print
Buy it framed

Declaration of Independence
17 in. x 22 in.
Buy this print
Buy it framed
More Constitutional Items

URL: http://www.usconstitution.net/constfaq_q4.html