Federalism is a system of government where the national governments and the state governments share powers. It is the basis of the Constitution and the US government. Show
Powers: Delegated, Enumerated, and ConcurrentAs a result of the relationship between the state and federal government, there are powers that are exclusive to the states, powers exclusive to the federal government, and powers that are shared. The powers that exclusively belong to the national government are called delegated or enumerated powers. Powers that are shared by the federal and state governments are called concurrent powers. Delegated or enumerated powers are those that the national government controls. These include printing money, declaring war, regulating interstate trade, making treaties and working with foreign policy, and regulating international trade. Reserving these powers specifically for the national government, unifies the United States under a strong central government. Concurrent powers include collecting taxes, land for public use like building roads, borrow money, and establishing and operating court systems. There are also powers that are specific to the states. These powers are regulating intrastate commerce, conducting elections, making local governments, and ratifying constitutional amendments. Having powers exclusively for the states makes sure that the national government is not becoming too powerful. It is also important to understand that power between the national and state governments fluctuates in order to meet the needs of society. Historically, in times of crisis, the powers of the national government were escalated in order to provide necessary aid to the states. A current example of this is the Covid-19 outbreak in the United States. Many states are currently in need of medical supplies and aid by the federal government in order to deal with the exponential increase of cases in their states. Federal Funding 💵Some ways that the federal government can respond is through incentives, aid programs, and grants. Categorical grants are federal aid given to states with rules in place. In order to receive the money, the states must agree to the federally mandated rules. These rules usually deal with how the money will be spent. Another type of grant is the block grant. This type of grant is less regulated than categorical grants. For block grants, the states have some authority on what they want to use the federal aid for. There are also mandates that can be funded or unfunded. When the federal government wants the state to do something and they give them federal aid to do so, then it is a funded mandate. This is because the federal government is giving the states money. An unfunded mandate is when the federal government requires the states to perform actions without providing them federal aid. It is unfunded because the states must conform to the regulations on their own without any federal aid. Resources:
After the American colonies won their freedom from England, the thirteen colonies became thirteen states. The new states decided to work together. Their system of government was described in the Articles of Confederation. In this system, the state governments had most of the power. The Federal Government was very weak. This was very different from the government under the King of England. The Founding Fathers thought that this system left the nation too weak. They decided to develop a new system of government. They wrote a new document called the Constitution, to replace the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution made a stronger Federal Government. It gave power to both the Federal Government and the state governments. This system is called federalism. Here are some examples of how powers are shared between the Federal Government and state governments.
In addition, the Federal Government and state governments share these powers:
Powers not granted to the Federal government are reserved for States and the people, which are divided between State and local governments. Most Americans have more frequent contact with their State and local governments than with the Federal Government. Police departments, libraries, and schools—not to mention driver’s licenses and parking tickets—usually fall under the oversight of State and local governments. Each state has its own written constitution, and these documents are often far more elaborate than their Federal counterpart. The Alabama Constitution, for example, contains 310,296 words—more than 40 times as many as the U.S. Constitution. All State governments are modeled after the Federal Government and consist of three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The U.S. Constitution mandates that all States uphold a “republican form” of government, although the three-branch structure is not required. Executive BranchIn every state, the Executive Branch is headed by a governor who is directly elected by the people. In most states, other leaders in the executive branch are also directly elected, including the lieutenant governor, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and auditors and commissioners. States reserve the right to organize in any way, so they often vary greatly with regard to executive structure. Legislative BranchAll 50 States have legislatures made up of elected representatives, who consider matters brought forth by the governor or introduced by its members to create legislation that becomes law. The legislature also approves a State’s budget and initiates tax legislation and articles of impeachment. The latter is part of a system of checks and balances among the three branches of government that mirrors the Federal system and prevents any branch from abusing its power. Except for one State, Nebraska, all States have a bicameral legislature made up of two chambers: a smaller upper house and a larger lower house. Together the two chambers make State laws and fulfill other governing responsibilities. (Nebraska is the lone state that has just one chamber in its legislature.) The smaller upper chamber is always called the Senate, and its members generally serve longer terms, usually four years. The larger lower chamber is most often called the House of Representatives, but some states call it the Assembly or the House of Delegates. Its members usually serve shorter terms, often two years. Judicial BranchState judicial branches are usually led by the State supreme court, which hears appeals from lower-level State courts. Court structures and judicial appointments/elections are determined either by legislation or the State constitution. The supreme court focuses on correcting errors made in lower courts and therefore holds no trials. Rulings made in State supreme courts are normally binding; however, when questions are raised regarding consistency with the U.S. Constitution, matters may be appealed directly to the United States Supreme Court. Local governments generally include two tiers: counties, also known as boroughs in Alaska and parishes in Louisiana, and municipalities, or cities/towns. In some States, counties are divided into townships. Municipalities can be structured in many ways, as defined by State constitutions, and are called, variously, townships, villages, boroughs, cities, or towns. Various kinds of districts also provide functions in local government outside county or municipal boundaries, such as school districts or fire protection districts. Municipal governments—those defined as cities, towns, boroughs (except in Alaska), villages, and townships—are generally organized around a population center and in most cases correspond to the geographical designations used by the United States Census Bureau for reporting of housing and population statistics. Municipalities vary greatly in size, from the millions of residents of New York City and Los Angeles to the few hundred people who live in Jenkins, Minnesota. Municipalities generally take responsibility for parks and recreation services, police and fire departments, housing services, emergency medical services, municipal courts, transportation services (including public transportation), and public works (streets, sewers, snow removal, signage, and so forth). Whereas the Federal Government and State governments share power in countless ways, a local government must be granted power by the State. In general, mayors, city councils, and other governing bodies are directly elected by the people. What was the relationship between national and state governments under the Constitution?In the United States, the government operates under a principle called federalism. Two separate governments, federal and state, regulate citizens. The federal government has limited power over all fifty states. State governments have the power to regulate within their state boundaries.
How is power shared between the states and national government?Concurrent powers refers to powers which are shared by both the federal government and state governments. This includes the power to tax, build roads, and create lower courts.
How do state and national governments work together?The federal government ensures cooperation of state and local governments by providing funds to operate federal programs, such as affordable health insurance, building roads, airports, highway systems, and pollution control. The state government oversees affairs within state borders.
What is national government and state government?In the United States, the state government and federal government share power. The federal government makes policies and implements laws on a national level while state governments do the same for their region of the country.
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