Implied powers

Implied powers, in relation to the U.S. Constitution, are powers not specifically given to the Federal Government of the United States. Implied powers are derived from an enumerated power and the Necessary-and-proper clause, which can also be recognized as the elastic clause. These powers are not stated specifically but are considered to be "reasonably" implied through the exercise of delegated powers.

The implied powers of the Federal government was a conception idea formed after Thomas Jefferson decided to go ahead with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, although the Constitution did not explicitly give him the power to do so. Later, the implied powers played an important role in the court decision of McCulloch v. Maryland, with the Second Bank of the United States using the idea to argue the constitutionality of Congress's creating it in 1816.