McCulloch v. Maryland addressed which issue?

• A. The right to free speech
• B. The supremacy of states over federal power
• C. The power of Congress to charter a bank and the division of powers between states and the federal Government
• D. The abolition of slavery in new territories

Answer: (C)

This question tests how far the federal government can go under the Constitution, especially regarding implied powers and the division of powers between national and state governments. In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court said Congress did have the authority to charter a national bank as an implied power under the Necessary and Proper Clause, even though a bank isn’t explicitly listed in the Constitution. It also held that federal law is supreme over conflicting state law, so Maryland could not tax the Bank of the United States because such a tax would put state authority above the national government. This decision reinforces that the federal government has powers beyond those written down if they are necessary to carry out its constitutional duties, and that national laws take precedence over state laws. The other options don’t address Congress’s authority to create a bank or the balance of power between states and the federal government.