Question

The right of the federal government to create and operate a national bank was affirmed in

A) McCulloch v. Maryland, a case that began when the state government placed a tax on a national bank.
B)McCulloch v. Maryland, a case that began when a state bank began to operate branches in other states.
C) District of Columbia v. Heller, a case that began when a local bank tried to open branches in other states
D) District of Columbia v. Heller, a case that began when a local government placed a tax on a national bank

Answer 1

The right answer is A) McCulloch v. Maryland, a case that began when the state government placed a tax on a national bank.

The case centered around two constitutional questions. First, did Congress have the constitutional power to create a nationally chartered bank? Second, did Maryland and other states have the constitutional power to tax a national bank chartered by Congress? On March 6, 1819, Chief Justice John Marshall announced the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision. The court ruled in favor of the bank and against the right of the states to tax it. He declared that states can only tax their own people and property. The bank was an “instrument” of the U.S. government, which represents all the people.