Congressional Power Timeline

  • Expressed Powers

    The Constitution gives expressed powers to Congress in Article 1, Section 8.
  • Implied Powers

    Supreme Court upholds the concept of implied powers,declaring that the powers to tax,borrow, and regulate commerce to establish a national bank.
  • Immigration

    Supreme Court rejects State efforts to regulate immigration, declaring it a Congressional Issue.
  • Legal Tender

    The U.S. government issues its first legal tender notes,which are popularly called greenbacks.
  • Monopolies

    The Sherman Antitrust Act, based on the commerce power,regulates monopolies and other practices that limit competition.
  • Wagner Act

    The Wagner Act,based on the commerce power,recognizes labor's right to bargain collectively . The Social Security Act is passed.
  • Highway System

    The Interstate and National Highway Act, based on the commerce and war powers,provides for a national interstate highway system.
  • Health-Care

    Congress amends the Social Security Act of 1935 to create Medicare,which covers hospital and other health-care costs of the elderly.
  • Impaired

    The Americans with Disabilities Act, based on the commerce power,prohibits discrimination against the physically impaired.
  • Reserved Powers

    In United States v. Lopez, the Court strikes down the Gun-Free School Zone Act of 1990 on the grounds that the federal government invades reserved powers of the states with this legislation.