According to James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution, the powers of the national government are supposed to be limited and enumerated, while the powers of the states are meant to be numerous and undefined. Madison believed that the national government should only have powers specifically granted to it by the Constitution, while the states should have the authority to exercise any powers not prohibited by the Constitution. This division of powers was intended to prevent the national government from becoming too powerful and infringing on the sovereignty of the states.
