“To pass the constitutional test, Jefferson said, a measure had to be more than just convenient in executing powers granted to the federal government: it had to be truly necessary—that is, indispensable. Taking literally the Constitution’s recitation of congressional powers, he prophesied that “to take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specifically drawn . . . is to take possession of a boundless Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton (p. 354). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. ”
