AP GOPO Unit 1B - Federalism

Federalism

The sharing of power between a central government and equally sovereign state governments

Devolution

the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states

Unitary Governments

A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government. Most national governments today follow this method of government

Intergovernmental Relations

the term used to describe the entire set of interactions among national, state, and local governments.

Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.

Tenth Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

McCulloch v. Maryland

Supreme Court ruling (1819) confirming the supremacy of national over state government. It also defined the necessary and proper clause

Enumerated Powers

Powers given to the national government alone

implied powers

Powers that are not specifically mentioned in the constitution, but are inferred from the expressed powers given to Congress.

Elastic Clause

Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which allows Congress to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers of the Constitution.

Gibbons v. Ogden

A Supreme Court ruling that decided that regulating interstate commerce is a power reserved to the federal government

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Constitution's requirement that each state accept the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state

Extradition

A legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state where the crime was committed.

Privileges and Immunities

A clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution granting citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of other states.

Dual Federalism

A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme, each responsible for some policies.

Cooperative Federalism

A system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government.

Fiscal Federalism

The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants between the federal government and the states

categorical grants

Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport

project grants

Federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications

formula grants

Federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations.

Block Grants

Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in social services.