Which event happened prior to the signing the pacific railroad act in 1862? a. asa whitney requested the right to build a transcontinental railroad. b. the end of the civil war freed veterans to work on the railroad. c. the golden spike ceremony was held in honor of the transcontinental railroad. d. railroad workers drilled tunnels through the sierra nevada mountains.

The answer is Asa Whitney requested the right to build a transcontinental railroad.

Before the signing of pacific railroad act in 1862 by president Lincoln, Asa Whitney requested the right to build a transcontinental railroad. The railroad would link the United States from east to west.

b) a state law could be declared illegal if it contradicted the constitution.

explanation:

the conflict of this case originated when james w. mcculloch, a cashier of the baltimore branch of the second bank of the united states that the congress had chartered in 1816, refused to pay a tax imposed by the maryland state.

in the case, the state of maryland appealed that the establishment of a second bank was unconstitutional since the constitution didn't say anything about granting that power to congress. however, the case determined that even if such right wasn't specifically stated in the constitution, it was part of the "implied powers" of the government enunciated in article i, section 8.

the case also eliminated maryland's legislation to impose taxes to a national bank, asserting that even though the states retained the power of taxation, the constitution's laws are supreme and can not be controlled by the states, therefore, if a state law contradicts the constitution, it should be declared illegal.

explanation:

light bulb

explanation: