Answer: The federal government is very strong, with much power over the states, but at the same time, it is limited to the powers enumerated in the Constitution. Powers not delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or to the people. Although the powers of the federal government are limited to those enumerated in the Constitution, those enumerated powers have been interpreted very broadly. And under the supremacy clause of the Constitution, federal law is supreme over state law. The Constitution also limits the powers of the states in relation to one another. Because the United States Congress has been given the power to regulate interstate commerce, the states are limited in their ability to regulate or tax such commerce between them.
Considering that slavery originated sometime in the 1620s in North America, and that it lasted until 1865, the correct answer to how much it lasted should be around 245 years.
