American Government Chapter 3 Federalism

3 Types of Government 1.Unitary system: a centralized governmental system in which ultimate government authority rests in the hands of the national central government (i.e. France) This is the most frequently occurring type of government 2. Confederal system: a system consisting of a league of states, each having sovereign powers. The central government only has limited powers over the states (i.e. the European Union) 3.Federalism: a system of government in which power is divided between a central government and regional governments See Figure 3-1 on page 83

Why is federalism a good idea? Allows for delegation of tasks so the main government is not in charge of everything Citizen anger is more often directed at local and state government than the federal for this reason It is impractical to consolidate political authority in one location, better to spread it out across the nation Federalism brings the government closer to the people by allowing more access to and influence on government policies in their own backyard States provide good testing grounds for programs that can become nationwide such as unemployment compensation Political subcultures are allowed to flourish in local areas whereas their voices would be lost if all political power was centralized (i.e. Madison, Wisconsin) Of course, not everyone likes federalism and some argue that states have too much power and that some states are safer, more educated, and crime- free than others, creating an inherent inequality among Americans

The Constitution and Federalism Constitution divides powers into three categories: 1. Powers of the national government (always supreme) 2. Powers of the states 3. Prohibited powers

National Government Most of its powers are enumerated powers (powers specifically granted to the national government in the Constitution) But the government is not limited to those specific powers – Elastic Clause: Congress can do what is necessary to execute its specifically legislated powers – Implied Powers: a nation has the right to make treaties, wage war, seek trade, and acquire territory

State Powers 10 th Amendment reserves for the states any powers not explicitly outlined for the federal government More local activities such as crimes, marriages, intrastate transportation, and land usage Concurrent Powers: powers shared by the state and national governments (i.e. taxation)

Disputes over State Powers Civil War: 2 main state issues that caused tension between North and South – Tariffs (the whole nation was taxed but the North benefitted primarily because of its industries) – Slavery (seen by the South as integral to its economy and way of life) With the defeat of the South, the Union was made even stronger…no state could threaten to secede and form its own government again.

FDR In times of crisis, power tends to be consolidated in the hands of the central government In the Great Depression, President Roosevelt’s Democratic administration introduced sweeping legislation that helped stimulate economic activity during the recession Can you see how Barack Obama has attempted a similar plan of action in our own recession?

Since the Depression Cooperative federalism has reigned (the states and national government cooperate in solving complex common problems) A good example is welfare. The national government funds welfare programs but individual states decide who is eligible and how much they receive. Cooperative federalism makes extensive use of categorical grants (federal grants to state or local governments intended for specific programs of projects) (i.e. highway construction or Medicaid) The national government has increasingly played a role in state affairs due to its “power of the purse” (see figure 3-3 on page 97)

The Politics of Federalism To this day, Republicans generally favor less centralized government while Democrats prefer more power in the national government Major eras of change in American history have been defined by conflicts over federalism (i.e. the ending of slavery, the expansion of civil rights under President Johnson in the 1960s) Becomes a matter of balancing personal (i.e. state) interests with the “greater good” (i.e. the consensus of the federal government) Thus, many conservative states have pushed for devolution (transfer of powers from the national government to the state or local government) since more power is concentrated locally Recently, this has faded as the Bush era tended to focus on federal power in nontraditional areas such as health, safety, and the environment The Supreme Court has continued to play a role in defining which powers belong to the federal and state governments (more favor has been shown to the states recently although there have been inconsistencies in these debates)