AP Government: Federalism

Key vocabulary terms, constitutional clauses, and landmark Supreme Court cases related to federalism in AP Government.

Enumerated Powers (Expressed Powers)

Powers physically listed and written in the Constitution (mostly located in Article 1 Section 8), including taxation and the commerce clause.

Implied Powers

Powers not directly stated or written in the Constitution, derived from Article 1 Section 8 under the necessary and proper clause (also known as the elastic clause).

Reserved Powers

Powers set aside specifically for the states under the 10th Amendment, including intrastate commerce, licensing doctors, establishing public schools, and establishing local governments.

Concurrent Powers

Powers exercised by both the state and federal government at the same time, such as taxation and the ability to establish courts of law.

Inherent Powers

Powers based on the concept of being a sovereign free nation, such as the power to acquire territory.

Prohibited Powers

Powers that states or the federal government cannot exercise, such as trying someone twice for the same crime or states taxing the federal government.

Cardinal Question

A phrase referring to federalism because the relationship and balance of power between the states and the federal government is constantly changing.

Dual Federalism (Layer Cake)

A system of federalism where powers are distinctly separated between what the federal government has and what the state governments have.

Cooperative Federalism (Marble Cake)

A system of federalism in which the states cooperate with the federal government.

Fiscal Federalism

A system that emerged in the 1980s that allows the federal government to distribute grants to the states.

Block Grants

Grants that give states more freedom on how to spend federal funds, which are preferred and favored by states (confederally favored).

Categorical Grants

Grants that give less freedom to states and allow the federal government more control over how funds are spent, which are federally favored.

McCulloch v. Maryland

A Supreme Court case establishing that states cannot tax a federal entity due to the supremacy clause.

Gibbons v. Ogden

A Supreme Court case ruling that the federal government can regulate interstate commerce but not intrastate commerce under the Commerce Clause of Article 1 Section 8.

U.S. v. Lopez

A Supreme Court ruling described as the opposite of Gibbons v. Ogden regarding federal power.

Commerce Clause

A clause located in Article 1 Section 8 that has been the chief tool in expanding federal powers, granting the federal government the power to regulate people (as seen in the Civil Rights Act of 1964).

Funded Federal Mandate

A compulsory requirement imposed on states by the federal government where resources or funding are provided.

Unfunded Federal Mandate

A compulsory federal requirement forced on states without federal resources, requiring states to find their own funding (e.g., the ADA Act).

Devolution

The process of devolving or giving power back to the states, which serves as a solution to federal mandates.

Divided Government

A situation where two political parties control different parts of government, making it difficult to make changes or get anything done.

Voting Eligibility

A constitutional power that is explicitly controlled by the individual states.