The United States Constitution was first established in 1787 as an improvement to the Articles of Confederation, the first instituted form of government of America. Since then, the Constitution has been relied upon by every citizen as a guide to how American life has been and should be. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power "to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing …showed first 75 words of 540 total…

…showed last 75 words of 540 total…risen from such cases, yet America has remained in tact and this can be traced to the U.S. Constitution and how it has provided the nation with reasonable and effective processes of handling such mishaps. Both the way Congress has looked at and used its powers and the supporting decisions of the Supreme Court have made Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 truly the Elastic Clause, for its provisions have been stretched to cover so much ground.