Americans are used to its political leaders making major promises. Our government officials often talk about helping people get jobs, improving schools, or making the country safer. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy perhaps made one of the most far-reaching pledges ever.

Watch this clip of him making the promise in a speech at Rice University in Houston:

→ Reflection: How did you react to viewing President Kennedy's speech? What would you think about a president giving a similar speech today, perhaps on reaching Mars? Can the U.S. government do this? Write a brief reflection in your notes.

When JFK sets up the United States to go to the moon, it makes it seem like our federal government can do anything it wants. That's not true. The Constitution creates a limited government, with boundaries on federal power. These boundaries are set by the powers granted to the government, powers denied the government, and individual rights established in the Bill of Rights and other amendments.

The principles of limited government and individual rights are deeply valued by the American people. Violations of these principles are illegal, whether done by a person, state, or the national government.

Enumerated & Implied Powers

Every action of Congress must connect back to a specific power granted to it. Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution lists those powers, known as the enumerated powers. They include raising an army and navy, laying and collecting taxes, regulating foreign and interstate commerce, and coining money. To view the list of enumerated powers, Interactive popup. Assistance may be required. click here. Lay and collect taxes Borrow money
Regulate foreign and interstate commerce
Establish immigration laws
Coin money and regulate its value
Establish federal court system
Promote the sciences and liberal arts through establishing patent and copyright laws
Create, support, and regulate an army and navy
Help organize and call up individual state militas
Purchase land to build forts and military bases
Acquire land for the purpose of building a national capital (Washington, D.C.)
Define and punish crimes committed on the "high seas," or ocean
Declare war
Establish post offices and roads to carry mail over
Make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the other enumerated powers

However, Congress clearly does more than what is authorized in the enumerated powers. It has a second set of power derived from that list called the implied powers of Congress.

To understand the implied powers, click on the series of images below that will explain how the implied powers work.

Where are the Limits?

The principles of the Constitution for this section are limited government and individual rights. Thus far, we have only looked at the positive side of the equation — what the federal government can do. We haven't found many limitations. This will be explored in the next section.