Government
The Legislative Branch
Congressional Powers Poster
Chapter 11
The Constitution expressly grants Congress 13 types of powers. These are called expressed powers.
Additionally, the Constitution has been held to imply, or suggest, numerous other powers. These powers are not
specifically listed in the Constitution, but are implied (suggested) by the powers that Congress is expressly
granted. Finally, the Constitution gives Congress several other responsibilities that are not related to its primary
function of making laws (legislation). These are called nonlegislative powers. You and a partner are going to
create a poster depicting the powers of Congress.
1. Title one side of your poster “Expressed Powers of Congress” (Read Section 2-3). Create a picture
representing each of the 13 expressed powers of Congress and label each power. (See text, pp. 294-304)
2. On the other side, create two headings: “Implied Powers” and “Nonlegislative Powers.”
3. Under Implied Powers (Read Section 4), write the official and unofficial names of the constitutional clause
from which implied powers are derived. Then, simply list 6 examples of implied powers and the
expressed power from which each is derived. (Hint: You’ll find a couple under the Commerce Power.)
4. Under Nonlegislative Powers (Read Section 5), simply list the 5 nonlegislative powers and briefly define
each.
This assignment is worth 20 points.
Side 1
Expressed Powers
Implied Powers
Side 2
Non-Legislative Powers