Chapter Summary: The Impact Of Federalism In The United States

Federalism is defined in our book as: “the relationship between the centralized national government and the individual state governments” (Berman and Murphy 92). Federalism is a very important government system that is frequently discussed and argued, even today. The topic of federalism has become a topic of argument because many people believe the federal government should have more power, and yet some other people believe the states should have most of the power. One of the ways that federalism is in our government is in our Congress, and indirectly through Congress to the difference in laws between the states. We can look at all the different speed limits in all of the individual states; they are not all the same. This is because the residents of any certain state and the representatives of that state can choose whatever they deem fit to set as limits. Another

“American federalism was the embodiment of political tolerance and decentralization of – the expression of the liberal conviction that society can manage itself and needs no central plan,” said Llewellyn H. Rockwell. Federalism is the most important principle because it helps build a better foundation for a better government while also creating a division of powers. In this essay, I will be explaining what federalism is, how this newer type of government ideal has been incorporated into the U.S. and the advantages and disadvantages of federalism in the U.S. government.

The federal government and state governments have had a long history of powers struggles. The struggle goes back and forth between who has the right to make decisions and if there is a problem who should fix it. Sometimes it is better for the federal government to fix issues and during other situations it is better for the state or local governments to fix other issues. In the PBS special of the United States Constitution, Peter Sagal travels around the states documenting the various roles and impact the government has on the country as a whole and on the individual states.

Within the last century this doctrine has changed multiple times. In the early twentieth century the national government and state governments were divided with each wanting more power. This changed mid-century when they started worked on solving issues together. Currently federalism can be described as the nation and states figuring out which issues to take on based on their ability to handle the tasks (Paletz,

Federalism splits the power between the state and federal government. “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected. The powers reserved to the several states will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement and prosperity of the State.” (Federalist Paper #45) This shows that the federalists believe that giving most power to the central government is important, but so is reserving power for the

In this form of federalism, the power is returned to the states in an effort to decrease the dependency of the national government. This indicates that the states gain more power and money to make decisions in their domain and that the Federal government can’t impose certain standpoints and political “Red Tape” on controversial topics and legislation. This is made possible mainly due to Block Grants, large sums of federal tax money granted to the state with almost no restrictions on how to spend said money.

From its early beginning in the minds of the Framers of the Constitution to its state today. The United States system of federalism has changed greatly through landmark court decisions, congressional decisions, and strong presidential influence. The next few paragraphs will go through the history of federalism in the United States.

This book, “The Rise of the States: Evolution of American State Government,” by Jon Teaford, is his explanation of how the states have changed positively and negatively throughout the years. Each state has control over their citizens living in the state differently. Teaford addresses these issues in the form of his own discussion and explanations. Teaford begins with a background of the United States and different series of events that unfolded from the mistreatment of the national government to it’s citizens. I enjoyed the quote by Roscoe Drummond, “Our federal system of states no longer exists and has no more chance of being brought back into existence than an apple pie can be put back on the apple tree.” This is a great explanation of how the national government has changed vastly within history.

Federalism has somewhat of a pattern, the central government seems to have more worldwide powers as compared to the states, their powers are smaller and more intimate. Whereas the central government has a worldwide power, the power to declare war, state government has the power to pass marriage and divorce laws,which is more intimate. Federalism guards against tyranny by dividing or separating power up between central and state government so that neither of them have more power than each

It is clear that once the federal constitution was in place the tension between the federal and state governments has continued to grow. Many political scholars argue that the state governments are the supreme authority. For this reasons, the state have the power to nullify the federal government authority that contradict with them. Certainly, federalism has indeed played a virtual role in ensuring that the citizen’s rights are protected from self-centered leaders. However, it is clear that there is a serious constitutional crisis on the extent to functions between state, local and the federal government.

The judicial system, technology as well as the electoral process have had and will continue to have significant implications on the future of the federalism. This is mainly because of the inter-generational examination, construing as well as the implementation of the Constitution (Purcell, 2006). The electoral process for example which ascends people into leadership plays a big role in impacting on the Constitution which ultimately impacts on the federal state. The election of James Madison to the House of Representatives back in 1789 led to a number of changes in the constitution which then impacted on federalism. He argued that the Court was simply one of the 3-federal branches which were charged with the duties of interpreting the Constitution

Federalism has a plethora of advantages and disadvantages, but when it comes to avoiding complications in government affairs the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.Federalism prevents tyranny, helps diffuse power, boosts citizen participation, allows states to focus on their citizens needs, and grants the government permission to establish laws and create policies.

The most critical decision made by the Framers in terms of their impact on the future of Federalism is by creating a federalist government. They were familiar with the arguments of earlier political thinkers who claimed that government protection of individual rights would have to be small scale and cover a geographically limited jurisdiction. However, their own experiences suggested problems with this arrangement. They wanted a government that would be able to unify a belief within the states without diminishing each states ability to control itself. They did not trust the government operations and the way the government worked to take power completely away from the people. However, they did have an understanding of the government system

Federalism was an inevitable and paramount mechanism to creation the of the Union. Therefore, it is acceptable that its governing principles would define and refine a majority of the nation’s history. Shaping the government, laws, and politics of the current and future generations during the creation of the Constitution, federalism permanently altered the life of every American. Federalism and the Constitution were derived from a similar ideal: endurance of free society had to be preserved by a sense of unity that acted as a safeguard against prevalent dangers, advanced the common good while still maintaining responsiveness to the diversity of the nation (Wechsler, 1954). The Constitution established a central government that possessed the capacity to interpret its

American federalism has changed drastically since its genesis. In 1776 the thirteen colonies adopted the Articles of Confederation in order to coordinate their efforts in the war for independence. The Articles of Confederation bound the states together in two main aspects; foreign and military affairs. The Articles of Confederation worked well while all the states had a common cause. However, as soon as the war ended and interests began to change, it became obvious that the Articles were not enough. This brings on the creation of Federalism (Reinventing American Federalism).