small. The powers given to the national government under the Constitution would be few in number and their purpose would be specifically defined so that those powers could not be overstepped. At the same time, the powers of the state governments are abundant and not specifically defined, clearly swaying the balance of power towards the states. Federalist paper 46 is essentially an extension of the points made in 45. It says that in the case that the national government should impose on the limits placed on it by the constitution, the states will have the power to defeat the encroachment and return the national government to its previous state of power. Madison also stated more points in the Constitution through which state governments would have more power than the national government. He says that the only way the national government could take over the state governments would be if the people continuously elected men to office that wanted to betray both people and states. The "necessary and proper" clause was included in the Constitution to allow for an "active and powerful government." It is also known as the elastic clause and basically stated that the national government had the ability to pass any law that was necessary and proper to carry out national business. John Marshall expanded the interpretation of the "necessary and proper" mainly through the Supreme Court decision in McCulloch v. Maryland. His decision that a state could not tax an agency of the national government was not the only outcome of the court case. Marshall took the opportunity to say that even though it is not mentioned in the Constitution, the national government has the right to charter a national bank. The decisions on McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden also expanded the role of the national government. McCulloch v. Maryland's decision that a state government could not tax an agency of the national government was important in that it set a preceden...
