FEDERALISM

Timeline of American Federalism Articles of Confederation Constitution ratified Bill of Rights ratified Louisiana Purchase expands size of U.S McCulloch v. Maryland interprets “necessary and proper” clause broadly Gibbons v. Ogden establishes congressional control over interstate trade

Timeline of American Federalism S. Carolina first state to secede from U.S Civil War ends End of Reconstruction Federal Highway Act is first large-scale cash grant to states Voting Rights Act ends racial discrimination in voting practices in the states General revenue sharing increases funds available to states

Timeline of American Federalism Congress prohibits “unfunded mandates” costing over $50 million Welfare reform reduces restrictions on states’ use of welfare funds Massachusetts becomes first state to allow marriage of same-sex couples

Federalism Defined Constitutional arrangement whereby power is distributed between a central government and subdivisional governments, called states in the United States. The national and subdivisional governments both exercise direct authority over individuals.

Visions of Federalism Dual Federalism- Constitution gives a limited list of powers (foreign policy and national defense) to the national government and the rest to sovereign states. Supreme Court serves as umpire in disputes over which level of government has responsibility for a particular activity. Cooperative Federalism- federalism as a system of intergovernmental relations in delivering governmental goods and services to the people and calls for cooperation among levels of government

Visions of Federalism Competitive Federalism- coined by political scientist Thomas R. Dye, views the national government, 50 states, and thousands of other units as competing with each other over ways to put together packages of services and taxes. Analogy of the marketplace: at the state and local levels, we have some choice about which state and city we want to “use” Permissive Federalism- the states’ share of power and authority rests upon the permission and permissiveness of the national government

Visions of Federalism “Our Federalism”- championed by conservatives like Ronald Reagan. Presumes that the power of the federal government is limited in favor of the broad powers reserved for the states.

Coined by political scientist Morton Grodzins

Alternatives to Federalism Unitary Government- All governmental power is vested in the central government. The central government may delegate authority to constituent units, but what it delegates it may take away. Ex.- France, Israel, and in the U.S. state constitutions usually create this kind of relationship between the state and local governments.

Alternatives to Federalism Confederations- sovereign nations, through a constitutional compact, create a central government but carefully limit the power of the central government and do not give it the power to regulate the conduct of individuals directly. Ex.- Articles of Confederation and the European Union.