Final answer:
National government powers are the specific authorities granted to it by the Constitution, including expressed, implied, and inherent powers. These enable the national government to fulfill various functions such as levying taxes, conducting foreign policy, and ensuring national defense. Powers not explicitly granted to the national government may be shared with state governments, such as the power to tax.
Step-by-step explanation:
The powers of the national government are those authorities granted to it by the Constitution. These include various types of powers, such as expressed powers, implied powers, and inherent powers. Expressed powers are the specific authorities listed in the Constitution. Implied powers are those that are not expressly stated but can be reasoned from the expressed powers. For example, the national government can prohibit racial discrimination in transportation due to their power to regulate interstate commerce. The inherent powers are those that national governments possess simply by being sovereign entities, such as the powers related to foreign diplomacy.
Some specific powers given to the national government include the ability to borrow and coin money, levy and collect taxes, conduct foreign relations, raise armies, declare war, make peace, regulate interstate and foreign commerce, establish post offices, regulate immigration and naturalization, and establish and operate the federal court system. These powers enable the government to execute its responsibilities effectively. They are listed in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution and are designed to address affairs of the nation and foreign policy efficiently, as well as secure the general welfare and common defense of the people.
Furthermore, the system established under the Constitution allows for a division of power where certain powers are kept at the national level, others are reserved to the states, and some are shared between the two. An example of a concurrent power, or one that is shared between state and national governments, is the power to levy and collect taxes.