Federalism

Federalism

The division of sovereign power across local, state, and national governments.

Sovereign Power

Each unit of government has some level of authority.

Autonomy

Each level of government can perform certain functions without interference from other levels.

Police Powers

The powers to enforce laws and provide for public safety.

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared by both national and state governments, such as transportation, taxation, and establishing courts.

Unitary Government

A government where a national, centralized authority holds ultimate power.

Confederate Government

A system where states hold most of the power with a limited national government.

Intergovernmental Organizations

Entities established to coordinate policy across member nations, such as the UN, NATO, and EU.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that grants Congress the power to pass laws needed to carry out its enumerated powers.

National Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the Constitution declaring federal law the supreme law of the land.

10th Amendment

Reserves powers not given to the national government for the states and the people.

Full Faith and Credit Clause

The requirement that states honor the laws and judicial decisions of other states.

Privileges and Immunities Clause

Ensures that a state must treat non-state residents the same as its own residents.

Nullification

The supposed right of a state to ignore a federal law it deems unconstitutional.

Dual Federalism

A clear distinction where national and state governments provide separate services, limiting national government power.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

An 1857 Supreme Court case ruling that slaves were property and not citizens, contributing to the Civil War.

14th Amendment

Amendment providing for equal protection under the law and due process protections from states.

Jim Crow Laws

State laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States after the Civil War.

Gibbons v. Ogden

An 1824 Supreme Court case affirming Congress's broad power to regulate interstate commerce.

McCulloch v. Maryland

An 1819 Supreme Court case establishing that Congress had the power to create a national bank and that states could not tax it.