Essays On Federalism

Essay on United States Government and Federalism
Over the last two centuries the United States has grappled with the idea of federalism. While former
President James Madison had a very concrete understanding of that form of governance, "In the
compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two
distinct governments, and then portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate
departments" (Madison, 1788, p. 67), the United States has never had a conclusive division of power
between the state and the US Federal Governments. Instead of definitive spheres of governance as
Madison envisioned, over the years the US Federal Government has played an increasingly
important role in state matters. Beyond changes in the balance of power between...show more
content...
This case established the precedent that the United States Federal Government could dictate the
countries monetary policies. More importantly, during this period the supremacy of federal law over
state law was established with the Nullification Crisis of 1832. The ensuing conflict established the
precedent that the states did not have the right to judge the constitutionality of acts of Congress. It
was not until the American Civil Warand the resulting defeat of the Confederate States of America
that the supremacy of the US Federal Government in legislative and economic matters was
established.
Between the conclusion of the American Civil War and the election of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt, the United States entered a period of definitive dual federalism. During this period
"fundamental governmental powers were shared between the federal and state governments, with the
states exercising the most important powers" (Lowi & Ginsberg & Shepsle & Ansolabehere, 2010,
p. 73). While the US Federal Government left a majority of the decision making up to the states,
unlike before the Civil War, the supremacy of the Federal Government was no longer in question.
Although the government did establish various national standards during this period, it did little to
enforce compliance on the state level. For example, little was done to enforce the implementation of
the 15th amendment at the state
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Federalism Essay
Federalism
The Constitution of the United States was drafted at a time when our country was in dire need of
many answers to political and social questions. In addition to many other things, the drafters of the
Constitution were concerned with solidifying our central government and the Constitution was
intended to provide a solid structure from which our burgeoning nation could grow. The Constitution
gave explicit powers to the federal government and provided the states with the Tenth Amendment
which states ,"Powers not delegated to the United States, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to
the states respectively…" Of the enumerated powers given to the federal government by the
Constitution, the interpretation of the...show more content...
Dual Federalism also relies on the notion that in a court of law, the Tenth Amendment gives the states
enough support to declare unconstitutional any act of the national government that infringes on the
reserved powers given to the states. Cooperative Federalism provides an entirely different view of
the relationship between the federal and state governments. Federal supremacy is the hallmark of
this ideology. Supporters of the cooperative federalist view prefer to employ a broad interpretation of
the Constitution. The legal basis on which cooperative federalism has been argued is threefold: (1)
Enumerated powers (e.g. Commerce Clause) should be interpreted in light of an expansive
Necessary and Proper Clause (2) The Supremacy Clause, as prescribed in Article 6, paragraph 2,
gives federal actions supremacy over state laws when made in pursuance of the Constitution and
when they are made using implied and enumerated powers (3) The Tenth Amendment does not give
states the power to contest federal laws. To suggest that that these two ideologies are contradictory is
an understatement. To understand which theory best identifies with the correct interpretation of the
Constitution, it is necessary to understand the circumstances that created the necessity for a
Constitution and the political circumstances that motivated decisions contrary to the correct
interpretation of the Constitution. The

Federalism Essay
Federalism
Federalism is a system of government that divides power between a national government and a
regional government with the use of a constitution. Throughout the United States history, federalism
has played a significant role in the constitution and the system of government adopted by the United
States of America. Federalism has also changed throughout the course of America's history to fit the
constitution and the government. Montesquieu was a French philosopher who was very important
in the American constitutional thought. He was a man who was referred to more that any other
theoretical writer and wrote, "The Spirit of the Laws." Some of Montesquie's theories or views were
that the Republic form of government was only...show more content...
He also believed that a right is of two kinds–– power and property. Hume was a man that was lead
by the influence of John Locke and George Berkeley. Hume also believed that we should just keep
and improve our ancient governments; hence, we prevent any new radical forms of government.
Federalism was incorporated in the constitution for many different reasons. One of the main reasons
federalism was added was to prevent the new form of government in the United States after the
Articles of Confederation of abusing its powers. Under federalism, state governments and the
national governments would have specific limit, and rights. Some of the limits and rights on the
national government were the right of habeus corpus, and control of interstate commerce. States
could not tax imports and exports, could not impair obligation of contracts. Federalism was created
to ensure both separate governments certain privileges. The Framers of the Constitution believed
that the competition between both of the governments would create an effective limitation on each
governments power. The Federalist Papers, numbers forty–five and forty–six, were written by James
Madison and supported some of the ideas of federalism in them. In Federalist Papers 45, Madison
wrote about "The Alleged Danger from the Powers of the Union to the State Governments."

Reflection Paper On Federalism
Also, think about how federalism and the U.S. Congress have affected or will affect your life. The
federal structure ensures that there is a clear line between local, state, and federal government
regulations, policies, and oversight–sometimes! Think about how federal statutes affect your work or
will affect your work in the future. Does Congress have oversight of any of the processes or
products in your workplace? Do the government regulations, policies, and oversight sometimes
conflict with local or state regulations, policies, and oversight? Write: As you reflect on the
information you learned this week, write in your journal, based on your current major and/or
desired job, two detailed paragraphs about the following: How a federal policy affects your current
or desired workplace. The Founding Father's created a government structure that affects almost
every aspect of our lives even today. Federalism is a term that describes the U.S. system of divine
power and authority, derived from the people, between the national and state governments, according
to American Government. My major is Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management but I am
currently working as a part–time cashier for Aramark on Old Dominion University campus.
Affordable Care Act (health care law) was created to expand access to coverage, control health care
cost and improve health care quality and coordination, according to U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs. Affordable Care Act (2010) has affected my

Essay On Cooperative Federalism
Federalism is the power between the central and several regional governments. The history behind
federalism is made out of half the National Government and the other half is made from the State
( Crouse, Kaitlyn. " Foundations of the American Government." October 2017. Powerpoint File).
Federalism is the relationship between the government and the state,with terms and agreements to
give to the people. The government has its own law and terms that have to be followed by
everyone, but the state can make up its own laws that their residents have to follow. If you break a
state law you can't go to federal prison. If you break a government law, then it is up to the supreme
judge if they want to put you in federal prison. Dual Federalism is the same thing as federalism, but
it has no interference from the federal government. The history that comes from dual federalism is
that in the twentieth century, the supreme court had a discussion of the American federal laws, and
their powers ( Compton, John W. "Easing the Shoe Where It Pinches: The Lottery Case and the
Demise of Dual Federalism." Journal of Supreme Court History, vol. 40,...show more content...
Cooperative Federalism is also a act for clean air and that the act is against polluted air, and trying
to protect the people with this clean air act ( Knoop, Nicholas. "Cooperative Federalism and
Visibility Protection under the Clean Air Act." Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review,
vol. 43, 2016 Supplement, pp. 1–13). The cooperative act tells you about the the ways we can go
about the clean air, and how we the people, can help with this act. The time period of the
cooperative federalism started in the early 2000s, and it started because of the effects it was causing
to people all around the United States, and some of our Islands. They started it because they were in
desperate need of some help with health

Powers Of National-State Governments
Federalism: Powers of National and State Governments Reference: http://usgovinfo.about.com/od
/rightsandfreedoms/a/federalism.htm The US Constitution is a well formed set of rules that makes a
government. The Constitution gives the federal government control to deal with issues containing to
the whole US, while the states only have the power to control what happens in that particular state.
All the rules set by a government must fall within the US Constitution. Both the national and state
governments have different powers. The national government can make money, declare war, make
agreements with foreign governments, and make laws containing to the country. The state
governments can make local governments, run elections, give out certain licenses,

Essay on Why Framers Chose Federalism
Introduction: Federalism is a system of government that divides governing power and authority
between the national governments and the state governments (Bowman). In 1787, the framers of the
constitution chose this specific type of government to rule over the United States. I will show you
that the framers chose this system of government for several different types of reasons. Reasons are
because the national government was not strong enough, to maintain the states sovereignty, and it
will protect individual liberty. I will also show you how the 10th Amendment, Concurrent Powers,
and Block Grants each apply to the federalist system of government. You will see why the framers
chose Federalism and understand how Block Grants, Concurrent...show more content...
For example, Texas could not make a law forbidding women to vote, because the national
government has said that it is a right for all citizens of this country. There are many laws that the
states may have, there's traffic laws, criminal laws, property laws and many others. For example,
Colorado is allowed to give the death penalty to someone who has committed a murder. Federalism
made it so that the states were still able to do what they wanted to do, but with a little more control
and organization.
Protecting Individual Liberty Liberty is the condition of being free from restriction. It is the right to
act, believe, or express oneself in a manner. The Framers of the constitution believed that any
governmental power was a threat to our individual liberty, and that the exercise of governmental
power should be restrained. They felt that to divide governmental power prevented the abusement of
liberty. Since the powers is shared between the federal and state governments, it prevents either one
of the governments from going corrupt and denying personal liberty. Federalism also protects the
liberty of all persons within a State by ensuring that laws that are enacted in excess of delegated
governmental power cannot direct or control their actions.
Federalism: The 10th Amendment
The 10th amendment is basically almost the meaning of federalism. This brief statement says "The
powers not delegated to the United States by the

Study Outline for Chapter 3: Federalism
Sп»їtudy Outline Chapter 3: Federalism I. Governmental structure A. Federalism: good or bad? A.1.
Definition: political system with local governmental units, in addition to national one, that can make
final decisions A.2. Examples of federal governments: Canada, India, and Germany A.3. Examples of
unitary governments: France, Great Britain, and Italy A.4. Special protection of subnational
governments in federal system is the result of: A.4.a. Constitution of country A.4.b. Habits,
preferences, and dispositions of citizens A.4.c. Distribution of political power in society A.5.
National government largely does not govern individuals directly but gets states to do so in keeping
with national policy A.6. Negative views: block...show more content...
Conditions of aid tell a state government what it must do to obtain grant money A.3.b. Mandates tell
state governments what to do, in some instances even when they do not receive grant money B. B.
Mandates B.1. Most concern civil rights and environmental protection B.2. Administrative and
financial problems often result B.3. Growth in mandates, 1981 to 1991 B.4. Features of mandates
B.4.a. Regulatory statutes and amendments of previous legislation B.4.b. New areas of federal
involvement B.4.c. Considerable variation in clarity, administration, and costs B.5. 1Additional costs
imposed on the states through: B.5.a. Federal tax and regulatory schemes B.5.b. Federal laws
exposing states to financial liability B.6. 6. Federal courts have fueled the growth of mandates B.6.a.
Interpretations of the Tenth Amendment have eased flow of mandates B.6.b. Court orders and
prisons, school desegregation, busing, hiring practices, police brutality C. Conditions of aid C.1.
Received by states voluntarily, in theory C.1.a. Financial dependence blurs the theory C.1.b. b. Civil
rights generally the focus of most important conditions in the 1960's, a proliferation has continued
since the 1970's C.1.c. c. Conditions range from specific to general C.2. 2. Divergent views of states
and federal government on costs, benefits C.3. 3. Reagan's attempt to consolidate categorical grants;
Congress's cooperation in name only C.4.

Argumentative Essay On Constitutional Federalism
Federalism is the system of government in which the United States and many other countries
operate. . Federalism a system that involves compromising between the two extremes of
Centralization and Decentralization. The system always has opposing sides pushing to get the
balance more to their side of the spectrum. In the United States these forces are usually seen as
Democrats and Republicans. I see the U.S. located on the spectrum of federalism much closer to
Centralization than Decentralization. Currently, the Republican party has a majority in congress and
a Republican President. Therefore, we have already seen those forces trying to put more power into
the state's hands. Although it may seem cut and dry in the eyes of most Americans, it...show more
content...
The Federal Government flows money to the state and local governments through a program called
Grants in Aid. They use a system of Categorical and Block grants. Categorical has more strings
attached and Block grants have little to no strings attached. In this process we see another aspect of
Federalism called Intergovernmental Federalism. This is the ranking of how power flows through
our government. It starts with the Federal Government following with the state government, then
breaking down into smaller forms of local government. This is also how we see money flow
throughout the government; there is specific grants for those lower on the power ranks such as
school district grants. These systems show how it is important to have a strong Federal
Government, as well as strong decentralized governments. The Federal Government has a major
influence on what the states can do but, in some situations, they interact with each other to solve
certain issues. This is called Horizontal Federalism and used when states make interactions with
other states for the benefit of each state. Sometimes, the Federal Government has to intervene in
certain interstate compacts to protect other states. An example of this would be federal guidelines
for work on the Mississippi River, the upper states sometimes do work on the river at the same time
which can lead to flooding at the lower parts of the river. To

Essay On Federalism
Federalism first enveloped during the time of American Civil War. It has evolved over the course of
American history up until now. It was established because the people believe that the power of the
government poses a threat to individual liberty thus it must be eradicate so the establishment of
federal government was made. The role of federalism is to divide governmental power to territorial
basis, between a central government and several regional governments, usually called states or
provinces. Federalism allowed both the national and state government to have their own separate
powers. The founding fathers of federalism was Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George
Washington they create a federal government because they wanted balance...show more content...
all these events played out over many decades, they reach their high points during the presidency of
Franklin Roosevelt during 1933–1945. The national government become integrated with the state
and local governments. State and local government administer many federal programs. This type of
federalism is called cooperative federalism from the word cooperative, the state and local
government and national government are helping each other so support their needs and to provide
funds for their programs. After the cooperative federalism, the new federalism was established in
1969. The New Federalism was established because political leaders and scholars of the new
federalism argues that the national government are taking all the power that should be divided to the
states. 8 Although the national government remains extremely important, state government have
regained some power. New Federalism was supported by Richard Nixon during his presidency in
1969–1974. And as time passed by many presidents began supporting the return of the power to the
state and local government. however New Federalism has some Advantages and Disadvantages it
appeals to people because it center its priority to emphasize the local and state government.9 After
the revisions and reforms of federal government, it is now being used by other countries up until

Essay on Federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a widely accepted system of government in North American cultures. To many North
Americans it seems to be the obvious choice for all world governments, but this is not the case. In all
honesty, federalism is a fairly unique form of government. Out of approximately two hundred nations
on the earth one hundred and eighty states practice unitary forms of government, leaving only
twenty or so as federal nations (Winchester, 1999). Unitary forms of government consist of only one
level of government. These are very popular in modern day politics as they are much cheaper to run
and to maintain, while still fitting the needs of most countries. Examples of countries which use
unitary governments include France,...show more content...
Federalism has a rich and influential history in North America as well as in many other parts of the
world. While it is widely believed that federalism as a principle was the brainchild of the founding
fathers of the United States of America, reference to federalism in an unrefined form was
documented in the early 1600's. It was in this time period that the Jewish convenant in response
to social and religious persecution created "a new doctrine of "federal theology" based on the
idea of a mutual obligation between the ruler and the ruled" (Wijemanne, 1999). Essentially this
was the very first division of powers, and shared control over an area by two levels of
government, all be it in a very crude form. A more contemporary and widely accepted approach
regarding the birth of federalism is that it was essentially created with the Declaration of
Independence and the gradual confederation of the American states in the late 1700's and early
1800's. The United States fits the mold most common with Federal states. Federalism was first
implemented in the United States because America contained a large plot of land which was filled
with a very diverse population. Typically the only way to unite a heterogeneous population is
through a federal government because it is the only way to articulate and protect regional interests.
As the United States evolved so did federalism as an ideology and as a political practice. Constant
amendments to the

federalism Essay
Federalism
The United States Government is beloved to all Americans, in the simple fact that all men are
created equal and all men are given equal opportunity, to aspire to achieve success and make their
dreams come true. Although the percentage of people who achieve all of their goals in life is fairly
small, they have the freedom to chase them and America for the most part is a pretty content place.
The "law of the land" that sets the standards for our rights and privileges is the U.S. Constitution.
As pretty and proper as the U.S. Constitution sounds, there has always been and always will be some
conflicts and concerns about different laws and amendments and even values that...show more
content...
However with all the power that the President possesses there are also many limits set on him,
including the length of time he is allowed to hold his job. However the President who runs the entire
country, is appointed by the states.
This power and compromise is also included amongst the Congress. Each state appoints members
of the legislature. Each state gets an equal numbers of electors in the Senate and the House of
Representatives. The President is also required to take an oath before he takes over in office. "I do
solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to
the best of my Ability, preserve, 1`protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Adams had the brilliant idea of Checks & Balances where he broke the government into three
branches; the president, Congress, and the judiciary. Each of them had power but no one branch
would be allowed to enjoy a monopoly of power. However when problems did occur each branch
was allowed to put their two cents in and try to resolve whatever conflict that arose.
However there are times when the Constitution puts its foot down, and prohibits power of the states
. A big example of this is Article 1, Section 10. It lists all powers prohibited of the states

Federalism is a system of government in which entities such as states or provinces share power with
a national government. During the creation of the constitution the Framers questioned where powers
should lie in these separate entities; The Framers however didn't want to make the mistake of
centralized power so they used the system that utilized checks and balances. They created a that
system Charles de Montesquieu called the idea of dividing government power into three branches
the "separation of powers." He believed it was most important to create separate branches of
government with equal but different powers. In the framework, it became clear that they framers
wanted preserve liberty with usage of dividing power among state and government.

Essay on Balanced Federalism
Debates over how the division of powers between the states and federal government should be
handled have been predominant from the very beginning. The founders understood that this decision
would have an enduring influence on the types of policies implemented along with how the impact
would be felt by the citizens. This would all be dependent on if the laws were coming from Washing
D.C. or the state capitals (Barbour and Wright, 78). In light of this the founders established the
United States government based on a fair division of powers between Federal and State governments
as highlighted in the constitution and tenth amendment. However, in the past few years I believe the
country has shifted towards giving more power to the federal...show more content...
This can be noted in the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. The national government based this policy on
corresponding models from Wisconsin, California, and Michigan (McClenaghan, 96).
An additional feature provided by federalism can be found in the strength of unity. While
federalism allows states to deal with their own matters it likewise provides the benefits that come
from a union (McClenaghan, 96). These benefits can be experienced in matters corresponding to
foreign affairs where the advantages include a standard set of rules for immigration and
international interaction. It is also visible in issues dealing with national defense which can be
seen in the national security response after the events of September 11, 2001. These advantages
serve as an structural mechanism to reduce disarray. Never the less, federalism like most other
systems is not free of flaws which highlights a need for the distribution of power to be balanced.
For example although the notion of states being used as "laboratories" is potentially beneficially it
too has a defective feature. Unfortunately, this theory proves inefficient due to the fact that policies
are implemented on a trial and error basis and seeing as that each state is different the results may
vary (Lecture, September 14). What is effective in one state may not be as successful in another and
so the prospective advantages of this scheme

Essay On Dual Federalism
Federalism is a division of power in a central government and their regional
governments.(Learners.org, Federalism US vs. The States). The first system of federalism is dual
federalism. Dual federalism is the state government has their own responsibilities and the national
government has their own responsibilities. Dual federalism was mainly based around the Tenth
Amendment which states that anything that isn't in the Constitution are reserved to the states. It is
kind of like a tug of war, the state governments are on one side and the federal government on the
other. The rope is pulled back and forth, and at one time one side sees to be winning, but then the
rope gets pulled back to the other side. In the dual federalism, each government...show more content...
In the past, the Congress and the House have forced the state governments to meet in certain
enviromental standards. (Sparknotes Editors, Federalism, page 2)
In the early 1970s, the US knew that they needed a change in federalism so they called it new
federalism. New federalism gave the states some power while knowing that the federal government
is the highest power. At this time, the state government regained some power. Richard Nixon started
to support this type of federalism during his presidency, and every president since Nixon has
continued to support new federalism.(Sparknotes Editors,Federalism,page 1)
Examples of when the National Government has withheld funding to the States to making them
comply was in World War II when the people were relying on the federal money and when the
government was relying on the states to follow federal policies. ( Sparknotes Editors, Federalism,
page 1). Another example is when the government gave out block grants to give money on a fairly
good purpose with no excuses. (Sparknotes Editors, Federalism, page

Federalism Essay
Throughout history there have been a large quantity debates to decide the fate of America. In the late
18th century, America had finally broken off from Britain's control and was looking for a new form
of government. Originally, the Articles of Confederation connected the founding thirteen states of
America, which was a beginner version of a constitution. This eventually became an issue since these
articles did not give any power to the central government. Because of this, the states had many
problems in international politics since they had just found freedom and did not have the respect of
other countries. Eventually there was talk of the necessity of a new document of some sort to
attempt to give the central government a higher purpose...show more content...
Men like Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, and Richard Henry strongly believed in the Anti–Federalist
movement, they tried to prove that a strong government could be found if the states could possess
most of the nation's control. "Nevertheless, great States have their own particular advantages which
it is necessary to recognize" (Tocqueville 70). The Anti–Federalists received their support from rural
areas, such as farmers, because these were the people who feared a stronger central government and
the addition to their tax burden. Many civilians who supported minimizing a strong central
government did not appeal to the fact that each state would have a representative, which basically
spoke for the entire state, since this representative cannot share multiple opinions. Anti–Federalists
were afraid of not being heard because under a strong central government in a large nation like
America, many opinions or concerns would not be taken under consideration. They believed that a
proper government would function better if all concerns are heard and dealt with. The
Anti–Federalists had written a series of articles arguing the constitution, called The Anti–Federalist
papers. These articles argued that the constitution would take away the freedom and rights that
America had won in the American Revolution and that the government would ignore the states and
only protect the rich. The Federalist Party clearly opposed most ideas from the Anti–Federalist party.

Federalism And The Other Federalism
In this paper I've researched different texts and different information on the topic of federalism to
have a good understanding and knowledge of it. I found many sources of great information to learn
about federalism and how it influences many countries in the world that we know today. My goal
in this paper is to give a good understanding to what I've learned and give great detail on federalism
and the other Federalism is when two or more levels of governments share the same power over the
same region. Usually the higher national government governs the issues that concern the entire
country, and smaller subdivisions govern issues of their local concern, but both have the power to
make and enforce laws. Good examples of federalist countries would be Canada, Germany, France,
and the United States. The federal government is granted power to mint money, declare war, establish
post offices, and punish piracy. Any action that the federal government may have must stand by the
constitution. While the state government has all the powers that are not granted to the federal
government or forbidden to them under the constitution, because the state power is not limited to
express grants of power( Federalism Information Institute).
Every person that lives in the U.S. has to abide by the laws from the city, county, state and federal
Government of which they live. The founders of federalism where James Madison, George
Washington, and Alexander Hamilton. There

Federalism Essay
Federalism
The term "federalism" describes the changing relationship between the national and state
governments as they sort out their roles and responsibilities within the federal system. America has a
decentralized government; there is no single source of power or center of government. Federalism
goes well with pluralism, because of the multiple centers of power that exist in the government, and
also the many divisions of power. There are several levels of government including the federal
government, the 50 states, county and city governments and independent school districts. However,
the major players are the national and state governments. The tensions between the two are clear
when it comes to civil rights, money, and power....show more content...
The seventeenth amendment, while making the legislators directly answerable to voters, also had
the effect of diminishing their roles as representatives of their individual states since they now
answered to the general public rather than to the state legislatures, hurting state freedoms. The
Eleventh Amendment denied Congress the authority to make states subject to lawsuits in federal
courts. Power seesawed between the two levels of government over time. Was this the founders'
intention? During their time, fear of "big government" and of anarchy induced self destruction
plagued the conventions. The anti federalists were afraid of tyranny and the federalists worried that
the country would collapse without guidance. Federalism changes according to the country's needs
and it is the brevity of the constitution allows this flexibility. It was never merely a set of static
institutional arrangements, frozen in time by the Constitution. It is an adaptable process that has
economic, administrative, and political aspects as well as constitutional ones. It evolved from dual
to cooperative to new federalism. From the approval of the Constitution to the New Deal was a
period where the national government was limited to promoting commerce. It was the state
governments that dealt with governing citizens. The framers expected that the states would be the
principal policymakers in the federal system, so most domestic policy

Federalist Arguments
The document was ratified by 9 out of the 13 states. To generate support for ratification The
Federalist was published. In the Federalist, Alexander Hamilton argued that the there was a
perfect balance of liberty and power created by the Constitution. In the Federalist number 10 and
51, Madison had an new idea of the relationship between gov and society. He argued that the US
was not a source of weakness by stability. He also made the liberal idea that men were driven by
interest in themselves and that the good of society arises from the clash of private interests popular.

Federalism Vs Federal Government
Today, the United States of America operate under the system of federalism. Having a federal
government means that the power is divided, in the case of the U.S., between a central national
government and the 50 individual state governments. The fundamental principle of the federal
system is that both, the national government, as well as the state governments derive all of their
authority and power from the people, the citizens of the United States. The nation's Constitution
specifies which powers are guaranteed to whom. The powers granted to the national government are
called enumerated powers whereas the state powers are called reserved powers. Powers shared by
both the national and the state governments are summarized as concurrent powers....show more
content...
During this time, the national government had only the powers specifically granted by the states.
This lead to a weak national government that was unable to respond to crisis. To ensure the survival
of the new created nation, the Farmers decided to create a stronger national government that had the
power, and thus would be able to intervene in critical situations. For this reason, they separated the
power derived from the people between a strong national government and the individual state
governments, with the national government being supreme. In addition, the national government
was split up into three distinct branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the
judicial. The Constitution ensures that the three branches are independent and equally powerful. It
also assigns different functions to the three branches. The legislative branch functions as a
law–maker, the executive branch enforces the laws, and the judicial branch interprets them. This
structure was carefully chosen by the Farmers to avoid a concentration of power in the federal
government, and it gives the three branches the possibility to oversee one another and to interfere
with the actions of other branches if

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