The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State.
Is this how things worked out? Is this why modern federalists are so upset with the size of the federal government and its power over the lives and fortunes of the people?
As we move into the next unit on "The Scope of National Power," keep Madison's views in mind and ask yourself whether the present federal government is the one defined and limited by the Constitution.
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