The definition of commerce should include navigation, as it is understood by all America to be an integral part of commerce, particularly in the context of interstate activities that cannot be restricted by state boundaries.
"The subject to be regulated is commerce, and . . . it becomes necessary to settle the meaning of the word. The counsel for the appellee [party appealing to a higher court] would limit it to traffic, to buying and selling, or the interchange of commodities, and do not admit that it comprehends [includes] navigation. . . . All America understands, and has uniformly understood, the word "commerce" to comprehend navigation. It was so understood, and must have been so understood, when the Constitution was framed. . . .
The word ‘among’ means intermingled with. A thing which is among others is intermingled with them. Commerce among the States cannot stop at the external boundary line of each State, but may be introduced into the interior.”
—Chief Justice John Marshall, opinion of the court, Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
Question
Use the excerpt to answer the question.
Which of the following best summarizes this excerpt from John Marshall’s opinion?
(1 point)
Responses
The definition
1 answer