Assignment/Activity Title McCulloch v.

MD Mini-DBQ Year Sophomore

Skill Writing, Research, Critical Thinking Portfolio Competency Critical Thinking

An assignment in AP NSL that allowed us to really work on our DBQ writing skills, was the
McCulloch v. MD Mini-DBQ. This was a DBQ we had to write a sample of, which addressed the
question of To what extent does the Necessary and Proper Clause grant a new power to Congress? What
does proper mean? I chose to to argue that the Necessary and Proper Clause provided for a broad
interpretation of it by Congress.
One of the key components of this assignment was to compare it with a previous assignment, our
Citizens United DBQ, to improve our skills in answering DBQs. I had gotten a B on that assignment, so I
did my best to address the feedback I got from that DBQ, in this mini-DBQ. By comparing these
assignments, I was better able to use corroborating quotes, and still emphasize my argument. I know that
many times when I receive feedback, I dont always keep it in mind the next time Im writing. This way, I
was able to keep it in mind and improve my writing in the process. I didnt address everything though,
and I could have better linked the quotes I used back to the thesis, and just better analyzed the quotes in
general.
For this mini-DBQ, we were given many documents in addition to our previous knowledge, and
had to answer the question based mainly on the documents. I had already learned about the circumstances
and outcome of the McCulloch v. MD case and had learned what the Necessary and Proper Clause was,
so I already had a substantial amount of previous knowledge to rely on. I did have to take my time going
through the sources to make sure I wasnt missing something that would have helped my argument, and
in the end I was able to find the best possible document to support my argument.
This is an important assignment for me, because I aspire to become a politician, and no matter
which level of government or which area I end up working in, I will always need to work with Congress
in one way or another. The Necessary and Proper Clause is the most significant reason Congress gives to
get out of trouble and get policy they want introduced and passed, and being in support of such a broad
interpretation of this clause will help get Congress on my side, or at gain more supporters in Congress.
The Necessary and Proper Clause is a very important clause to know about in our government.
Congress uses it frequently to justify policies and writing this mini-DBQ helped me realize where I stand
on the topic and taught be more about the topic.

____________________________________________________________________________
Student Signature (Print here: Kiran Kochar McCabe) Date

Teacher Signature Date

 McCulloch v Maryland DBQ

Words can be deceptive. Sometimes, they are straightforward, clarifying the meaning of a

complex or contested concept. Other times, they can be ambiguous, causing centuries of debate.

The famous words of the Necessary and Proper clause fall into the latter category. Written as

part of Article 1, Section 8 outlining the enumerated powers of Congress, the Necessary and

Proper Clause has caused debate about what exactly is necessary and what is proper. The

first turning point in the discussion came in 1819, when the Marshall Court decided McCulloch

v, Maryland. Chief Justice Marshall ruled that the clause allowed Congress to take actions they

deemed necessary for carrying out their enumerated powers, expanding the possibilities for the

Federal Government. Following Justice Marshalls correct decision, there has been two hundred

years of polarizing debate about what the Necessary and Proper Clause, sometimes called the

Elastic Clause, allows Congress to do. The Necessary and Proper Clause allows for a broader

interpretation of it as Congress has the powers to do many things concerning money, and if they

are not allowed to pass laws that are not specified in the Constitution, they wont be able to

fulfill their duties.

With the broader interpretation of the Necessary and Proper Clause, Congress is better

able to fulfill their duties and carry out their enumerated powers. The initial wording in the

United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 reads that The Congress shall have

power...to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the

foregoing powers... (Document A). Using the phrase necessary...for carrying into execution...

implies that the authors of the Constitution, the document our government is based on, wanted

Congress to be able to pass laws to make sure that they can fulfill their duties. If they arent able

to carry out their enumerated powers, then the government wont be able to function since
everything is connected due to the system of checks and balances. Alexander Hamilton, one of

our Founding Fathers and the first Secretary of the Treasury, agreed that the Necessary and

Proper Clause allowed for Congress to be able to pass laws that helped them to carry out their

enumerated powers. In his Opinion on the National Bank, Hamilton stated that To deny the

power of the government to add these ingredients to the plan, would be to refine away all

government (Document H). If the government wasnt allowed to create the National Bank, then

it would be hard for them to carry out their other enumerated powers it would help to manage,

such as collecting taxes and borrowing money. If Congress isnt allowed to interpret the

Necessary and Proper Clause in a broader fashion, it would make fulfilling their duties much

more complicated.

In conclusion, Congress is able to interpret the Necessary and Proper Clause more

broadly as it has the powers to do many things concerning money, and if they are not allowed to

pass laws that are not specified in the Constitution, they wont be able to fulfill their duties. The

Founding Fathers allowed the National Bank to be built, which was justified under the Necessary

and Proper Clause, and countless other things have been justified under that clause which have

helped to make Congress and, in effect, the government function better. The writings of George

Washington, a fairly neutral but powerful observer on the question of Congressional power,

would have been a useful to examine. As someone who decried partisanship, he would have

bridged the gap between Jefferson and Hamilton, allowing for a more measured view on the

broadness of the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Rubric rating submitted on: 2/13/2017, 12:28:19 PM by alison.russell@mcpsmd.net

3 2 1 0
 Thesis A clear claim that A clear claim that A somewhat clear A statement of fact
Your score: 3 addresses the topic, addresses the topic, claim, that attempts or a claim that
contains multiple may not have to address the topic cannot be supported
supporting claims, multiple supporting and use the by documents
contains a clear claims, can be documents
relationship and can supported by the
be supported by the evidence in the
documents documents

Evidence Direct quotes or Direct quotes or Details or No evidence or is

Your score: 3 details from details from the paraphrase from the not relevant to the
multiple documents. documents. documents. documents and the
Evidence is sourced Evidence is mostly Evidence is thesis
appropriately. relevant to the somewhat relevant
Evidence is directly thesis. There may to the thesis
relevant to the thesis be an attempt at
sourcing

Analysis Draws a clear Draws a connection Attempt is made to No connection

Your score: 2.5 connection between between the show the relevance between the
the evidence and the evidence and the of the evidence, but evidence and the
thesis. There is thesis. There is an lacks concrete thesis is found.
discussion of the attempt to discuss connections. There Writing does not
relevance of the the relevance of the is minimal to no add clarity to the
author or context of author or the context discussion of the argument being
the document. of the document. author or the made.
Background Background context, and no
information is used information may be background
where appropriate used. information is used.

Area of Identified an area of Identified an area of Did not clearly No stated area of
Improvement improvement from improvement and is identify an area of improvement and no
Your score: 3 first DBQ and fully still working improvement and improvement in the
addressed that area towards addressing does not fully show body paragraph.
in the body that in the body a change in writing
paragraph provided paragraph in the body
paragraph provided

Comments:
So much clearer. Look at where you can push your interpretation further but these are two well
corroborated quotes