In many ways, the opinion expressed in this case represents a final step in the creation of the federal government. The issue at issue, the power of Congress to charter a bank, seems insignificant, but the larger questions go to the very heart of constitutional interpretation and are still debated today. In 1791, as part of his financial plan, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed that Congress create a Bank of the United States, which would serve as the central bank for the country. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson opposed this idea, on the grounds that the Constitution did not specifically give Congress such power and that under limited government, Congress had no powers other than those explicitly granted to it. conferred. Hamilton responded by arguing that Congress...