About This Lesson
In this early federalism case, the Court ruled that the federal government had the power to create a national bank. It held that the creation of a bank was an implied power under Article I, section 8, including the Commerce Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause. Chief Justice John Marshall pointed out that while the word “bank” did not appear in Congress’s enumerated powers, the creation of a bank was a means of executing its listed powers.
