GRAPHIC ORGANIZER ON FEDERALISM: Assignment Directions: After learning about Federalism and the division of powers between the federal and state government in Chapter 4, fill in the graphic organizer below on the powers that the various levels of government hold. In addition to the example below, you will need to list at least 5 powers that the federal government holds, 5 powers that state governments hold, and 5 powers that are shared between the two entities of government. (Each listed power is worth 5 points)
FEDERAL POWERS
SHARED POWERS
STATE POWERS
If the Constitution doesn’t specifically state that a certain power belongs to the national Government, both the national government and the state exert the law at the same time. For example, when citizens have to file For instance, with the objective to improve that economic situation of the their income tax return, most of them country, the federal government can write two: one for the State Government and the other for the regulate international trade. Central Government.
In contrast to the powers that are essential to grant a nation good function, there are others that affect only the particular states, and therefore, their enforcement is carried out by each state.
Some of the federal enumerated powers Both levels of government can (those that are stated in the Constitution) establish courts, make and enforce regarding the legislative branch are: the laws and build roads. ability to issue money, collect taxes to pay debts, regulate trade among the different states, declare war and raise and possess a national army.
Reserved powers are those that belong to the states because the Constitution doesn’t state that they are a federal duty nor prohibits the to the states. States can levy taxes and regulate commerce within their own state. Whereas the federal government can incur to deficit in order to fund its daily operations, states have to function within a balanced budget.
In general, we could say that the Constitution grants the powers needed to organize a country and to deal with the issues overarching only national concern to the U.S. federal government.
For example, issuing licenses (driving, hunting‌) is a responsibility that belongs to each state and the requirements can change among them.
The President, who belongs to the Federal Power, has the right to command the armed forces and to conduct foreign relations.
When talking about laws, we have to be aware of the fact that each state has its own laws, so both the state and the federal system can establish new rules. Sometimes, the state laws can contradict the Federal Laws. In that case, the judge must always obey and enforce the national law.
The state also has other reserved powers. For example, they can call elections and form local governments, and establish and enforce criminal laws.
The third power of the country, which is the judicial, can rule on constitutional issues, on cases that involve the U.S. government and disputes among the states. It is the one that decides in ultimate instance.
When approving new laws, the work is done both by the federal and the state government. First of all, the central government has to create and approve a new law, but the states are the ones which have to ratify a new law or the changes to the constitution. Without the approval of the states, it won’t work.
We could say that the state governments have the power of regulating aspects that affect citizens’ daily life in the state. These are for instance: the health care system, public safety, morals, the general welfare of the citizens, public-school system…
Finally, the federal Government, has some powers that even though they aren’t explicitly stated in the Constitution, they are inherited by any national Government.
Charter banks and corporations. In the US, banking is regulated both at a state and federal level. Depending on the type of charter that a banking organization has and also on the way that it is organized, it might be subject to different state and federal regulations. These regulations address privacy, disclosure, fraud prevention, antimoney laundering, anti-terrorism, anti-usury lending ant the promotion of lending to lower-income populations.
Another fact that the state governments control is transportation. They can spend their money on improving the roads and the ways people can travel from one place to another in the state and also, the state government is the one to decide aspects such as the limit of speed.
These powers include the fact that the US can acquire new territory and conduct foreign policies and affairs. The American government has used these powers since the birth of the nation and they have always served the purpose of improving the country’s situation.
Short Response Read Chapter 4, then answer the following question. Your answer should be at least one paragraph and be supported with information from the text. (15 points) Why did the Framer’s choose federalism? Under the Articles of Confederation, the new nation couldn’t function as a real country, because the central government hadn’t enough power. That’s why the main representatives, who met in Philadelphia wanted to change the Articles and then create a new Constitution. But at the same time, the 13 nations had just become free from a really strong central government, so they didn’t want that to happen ever again. So, unitary rule, was also out of the question. Taking these two points of view into account, I can completely understand why the representatives, then called Framers, chose federalism. It was the only way of governing that avoided both problems and could guarantee a successful future to the US and prevent the abuse of power. Moreover, they were inspired by the philosopher the Baron de Montesquieu, who was a big supporter of the necessity of dividing powers between different institutions. According to his beliefs, it was the best way to defend people’s freedom from a too-powerful government and to prevent tyranny. So, all in all, federalism was almost the perfect plan. The power of the government was divided in three branches: judicial, legislative and executive, and that prevented abuse of power and ensured that each part acted correctly because they look after each other. What’s more, the Framers also thought about dividing the powers between two levels of government: state and national, assigning the powers which had to do with all the states’ common interests, such as defense, currency, acquiring new territory… to the federal government. The states could decide over the matters that affected them personally. Federalism significantly allows the protection of individual rights and liberties of each citizen of the nation, states are free to develop their own educational system, economic policies and it keeps many political leaders and their public policies closer to the people.
RESOURCES
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Thoughtco.com – Federalism: A Government system of shared powers. Quizlet.com – Powers of state, federal and shared powers Rightsofthepeople.com – Powers of national Government and state governments Ivsoi.org – Shared Powers between States and Federal Government Fairfaxcountry.org – Explaining Federa, State and Local Government Wikipedia – Bank regulation in the United States
Short Response Grading Guide
Focus
Support
Mechanics
Builds on facts with Written in complete deeper insight and sentences Includes ample facts personal perspective At least one No fictional content Addresses the paragraph long with benefits of Cites resources at least 5 sentences federalism and why the Framer's decided on federalism Clear
Information from text book content
Self-reflection