Final answer:
The debate in Gibbons v. Ogden centered on b. the regulation of interstate commerce and whether the federal government had the authority to override state laws in this domain. The Supreme Court's decision supported federal authority, defining interstate commerce broadly and confirming federal law's supremacy over state law.
Step-by-step explanation:
The issue debated in Gibbons v. Ogden was b. the regulation of interstate commerce by federal or state laws. The Supreme Court case of 1824 focused on the interpretation of the commerce clause of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, and it revolved around whether the federal government had exclusive authority to regulate the licensing of steamboats operating between New York and New Jersey.
In this landmark decision, Chief Justice John Marshall delivered a ruling that strengthened the power of the national government. The court determined that 'interstate commerce' was to be understood broadly as 'commercial intercourse' among states, which meant that Congress could regulate navigation. Importantly, the decision established that federal law takes precedence over state law, as seen when the federal Licensing Act of 1793, concerning coastal commerce, was found to be constitutional and thus took precedence over New York's state license-monopoly law.