What constitutional issues were raised by the federal government's efforts to end the Great Depression? Describe how the Supreme Court responded to the New Deal. Did its rulings reflect a strict construction of the Constitution? Explain why or why not.

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

The constitutional issues that were raised by the federal government's efforts to end the Great Depression were the following. The United States Supreme Court questioned if the President's role was the right one and about the increase in the size of the federal government. It also questioned if the federal government could impose its criteria and legislation over the states to implement the programs included in the New Deal.

As soon as Franklin D. Roosevelt took the US presidency, he created the New Deal, that was a series of programs aimed to help millions of American citizens that were suffering from the economic conditions left by the Great Depression that had been started on October 29, 1929, after the US stock market crashed, leaving millions of people without a job.

Du to the creation of these programs is that the Court questioned the decisions of the Executive branch.

the articles of confederation only set up the continental congress at the federal level. there were no executive or judicial branches except within the states. the states were allowed to keep every right that was not specifically given to congress. the bonding of the states was through a 'firm league of friendship' that best served as a defense agreement against invasion. states were not allowed to use taxes as a way to discourage treaties, and states were extremely limited in their dealings with foreign nations.

not many historians today talk about the strengths of the articles of confederation, likely because of how unpopular the document quickly became. the articles did set the legislative body, congress, as the highest power in the nation because of the fear of monarchy. congress had the sole power to declare war, assign treaties, entertain foreign relations, and operate post offices. disputes between states and territorial issues were to be brought to congress. the document also stipulated that canada was allowed to enter the union if they desired.

there were more weaknesses than strengths under the articles of confederation. the lack of power given to the continental congress strangled the federal government. the articles gave congress the power to pass laws but no power to enforce those laws. if a state did not support a federal law, that state could simply ignore it. congress had no power to levy taxes or regulate trade. without a federal court system or executive leader, there would be no way to enforce these laws, either. amending the articles of confederation would also require a unanimous decision, which would be extremely difficult.