Explore the specific authorities granted to Congress: the 'enumerated powers'

The Constitution grants Congress more powers than the president

Article I outlines detailed congressional powers—taxation, spending, war declarations, and lawmaking—while Article II gives the president limited, broadly defined authority. This design reflects the framers' intention to prevent executive overreach.

The Constitution gives Congress sweeping control over the federal budget

Article I, Section 8's Spending Clause authorizes Congress to tax, pay debts, and promote the "common Defence and general Welfare," making it one of Congress's most powerful tools—and the constitutional foundation of federal budget control.

The commerce clause gives the federal government authority to regulate interstate economic activity

This short constitutional provision has allowed Congress to regulate everything from wheat production to racial segregation, greatly expanding federal power by linking national authority to interstate economic activity.

The necessary and proper clause of the Constitution allows Congress flexibility in governing

The Constitution authorizes Congress to pass laws needed to carry out its enumerated powers, which, over time, have become one of the Constitution's most powerful sources of federal authority.

The Tenth Amendment reserves all powers not granted to the federal government to the states or the people

Any powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved to the states or to the people. It has been cited in legal battles over healthcare, marijuana, and environmental regulation.

The Supreme Court has never definitively settled federal war powers

Despite more than two centuries of conflict over war powers, the Supreme Court has consistently avoided defining the precise boundary between congressional and executive authority, leaving that boundary to be contested by the political branches.

States are constitutionally mandated to draw their own congressional districts

Under Article I, Section 4 of the US Constitution, state legislatures possess the authority to determine how congressional districts are drawn. However, Congress retains the power to alter these rules if it chooses to.

A formal declaration of war automatically triggers hundreds of statutes granting the president sweeping domestic authority

Beyond authorizing military force abroad, a formal declaration activates a wide range of domestic powers, including authority over enemy property, trade restrictions, and emergency economic authority. It also waives the 60-day time limits under the War Powers Resolution.

The supremacy clause establishes federal law as the highest authority

The supremacy clause states that the United States Constitution and federal laws enacted under it supersede conflicting state laws, ensuring national authority prevails when federal and state governments disagree.

Congress has the power to enact laws related to bankruptcy, thanks to the US Constitution

It has done just that since 1800. This legislation, which outlines the various types of bankruptcy filings, has evolved over time. The most recent iteration is the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, which introduced Chapter 11 filings in an effort to make the process easier for businesses and individuals.

McCulloch v. Maryland upheld implied powers and blocked states from taxing the federal government

In 1819, McCulloch v. Maryland confirmed that Congress may use implied powers under the necessary and proper clause and ruled that states cannot tax federal institutions, reaffirming the supremacy of the federal government within its constitutionally delegated powers.

As president, Thomas Jefferson expanded federal power despite opposing centralized authority

Although Jefferson argued for limited national power, his presidency expanded federal authority through actions such as the Louisiana Purchase, territorial governance, and federal enforcement—reflecting a pragmatic departure from his earlier strict interpretation of the Constitution.

The separation of powers is a pivotal component of the US Constitution

Explore how the three branches interact through the Supreme Court case of US v. Alvarez. The Supreme Court first struck down a law, then Congress and the president later revised it—illustrating how judicial review can reshape legislation and executive action.

Explore the nearly 1,000 laws, regulations, and provisions the court has held unconstitutional since Marbury v. Madison

Over more than two centuries, the Supreme Court has struck down nearly 1,000 federal, state, and local measures—exercising its authority to invalidate laws that conflict with the Constitution and shaping civil rights, the separation of powers, and the scope of government authority.

Congress has handled past crises through emergency lawmaking and institutional expansion

In a 2020 podcast from the National Constitution Center, historians and political scientists examine how Congress navigated past national crises—particularly the Civil War—and what those moments reveal about governing today.

Congress can remove federal officials through impeachment

The United States House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach federal officials. The United States Senate then conducts impeachment trials and decides whether to convict and remove them from office.

Two doctrines of local governance determine how much power cities actually have

Under what is known as "Dillon's Rule," local governments can only exercise powers explicitly granted by the state. Under "home rule," cities have broader self-governing authority—but the balance between the two depends entirely on state law.

See how the executive branch of the US government works

The executive branch enforces federal laws and is led by the president, who serves as head of state, commander in chief, and chief diplomat. Supported by the vice president, Cabinet, and around 4 million federal employees, it carries out laws through 15 departments and dozens of agencies.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

The US Constitution has influenced rights and governments worldwide

This interactive tool from the National Constitution Center allows you to compare constitutional rights globally, highlighting which countries have adopted protections similar to those in the US Constitution—and how shared principles manifest in different legal forms around the world.

The Articles of Confederation were not a federal system

Ratified in 1781, the Articles of Confederation left the states sovereign and independent, denied the national government power to tax or regulate commerce, and forced Congress to act through the states—exposing the limits of confederation and paving the way for US federalism.

Congressional committees quietly shape most legislation

This video explains how 20 congressional committees—standing, select, and conference—perform much of Congress's work, from drafting legislation and holding hearings to overseeing executive branch agencies.

The US has 575 federally recognized tribal nations, each a sovereign government

Tribal governments are sovereign, with authority to pass laws, run courts, and levy taxes on their lands. Unlike cities or counties, they are not created by states. Their sovereignty predates the United States itself and is recognized in the Constitution, treaties, and federal law.

The Civil Rights Act expanded the Department of Justice's enforcement powers

The 1964 bill empowered the DOJ's Civil Rights Division to challenge segregation, protect voting rights, and prosecute discrimination, thereby expanding its role in defending civil rights.

The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the US

No institution wields more power in US finance than the Federal Reserve—but opinion polls indicate that most Americans don't know what it does. Curious about the country's central bank? 1440's got your breakdown of how the Federal Reserve works.

In addition to collecting taxes, issuing tax refunds, and performing audits, the IRS is tasked with enforcing the laws listed in the Internal Revenue Code

The Internal Revenue Code is also known as Title 26 of the US Code. It was enacted in 1925 and outlines income, estate, sales, payroll, and excise tax laws.

Trace how the Bill of Rights, inspired by centuries of political theory, took shape between 1774 and 1789.

The rivalry between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson centered on federalism—the question of how much power the federal government should hold relative to the states.

The US Constitution is widely regarded as the longest-standing written national constitution still in force—see how it has influenced rights worldwide.

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

See this overview of the firework rules across all 50 states, ranging from a complete ban on non-professional fireworks in Massachusetts to states with more lax rules like Indiana.

Learn how to read a prospectus, the juicy document that any company must file with the SEC before going public.

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

The story of Dollree Mapp, whose legal challenge over her 1957 conviction for possessing "obscene material" led to a major strengthening of the Fourth Amendment

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

'Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone,' a work by American painter Thomas Moran, inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is independent of Iran's regular army and is one of the most powerful and influential military-political organizations in the Middle East.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

Chaos theory—informally known as the butterfly effect—is the reason why weather forecasts are presented with probabilities rather than certainties.