Final answer:
The national government needs the power to address domestic and foreign threats, regulate trade, raise armies, and unify the country; essential functions defined by the Constitution to overcome the limitations of the Articles of Confederation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding the Need for National Powers
The national government needs certain powers to effectively manage a growing and geographically expansive country. This includes the responsibility to protect states from foreign invasion and domestic uprisings, as demonstrated by the federal response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Constitution's framers recognized the need for a strong central government in order to address these concerns, resulting in the enumeration of specific powers in Article I, Section 8. These powers allow for the general welfare and defense, including the authority to tax, regulate commerce, raise armies, and other functions essential for national unity and integration.
The division between the states over the strength of the national government was evident soon after independence, with some advocating for a stronger national entity. Without essential powers such as maintaining an army, taxing, and regulating trade, the country could not withstand external threats or facilitate internal development. The federal system of government was therefore devised to ensure a balance between national and state powers.
Furthermore, the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, particularly James Madison's contributions, explain the rationale behind granting the national government specific powers, while reserving a more general and undefined scope of powers to the states. This was critical for addressing the limitations of the Articles of Confederation and the issues that arose from them, like Shays' Rebellion.