U.S. Federal System and Its Evolution

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to the constitutional origins, historical evolution, and modern issues of the U.S. federal system, including different types of federalism, landmark court cases, amendments, and policy challenges.

Federalism

A system of governing in which a territory is controlled by two or more governments, with one government subordinate to the other, such as in the United States with national and state governments.

Vertical Federalism

Describes the relationship between the states and the federal government.

Horizontal Federalism

Describes the relationships between the states.

Unitary System

An alternative to a federal system where lower levels of government are extensions of the central government and may be abolished at the will of the central government.

Articles of Confederation

The government system in the U.S. prior to the Constitution, which gave states significant veto power over national government actions.

Anti-federalists

Those who opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, skeptical of a strong central government.

Supremacy Clause

A constitutional provision stating that in the event of a conflict between the laws of a state and those of the federal government, the federal government's law stands.

Commerce Clause

A constitutional provision that provides the framework by which the federal government greatly expanded its power throughout the 20th century.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

A Supreme Court case that held the Necessary and Proper Clause should be read expansively, giving the national government leeway in implementing its powers, thus expanding federal power.

Necessary and Proper Clause

A clause in the Constitution, interpreted expansively in McCulloch v. Maryland, allowing Congress to make laws deemed 'necessary and proper' for executing its powers.

Tenth Amendment

Ratified in 1793, this amendment became central to arguments favoring greater sovereignty for states, reserving powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.

Dual Federalism

A concept of federalism adhered to by those who tend to favor stronger state sovereignty.

Shared Federalism

A concept of federalism preferred by those who favor a stronger federal government, implying shared responsibilities between national and state governments.

Native American Tribes in US Federal System

Accorded status as fellow sovereign governments by the federal government, protected from state encroachments, maintaining some sovereignty separate from the federal government.

Seventeenth Amendment

Ratified in 1913, it altered the selection of Senators from appointment by state legislatures to popular election.

Nullification

A state's action of simply declaring that a federal tariff or law would not apply within its borders, as South Carolina did in the early 19th century.

Missouri Compromise of 1820

A law that admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, establishing a geographical line to determine future slave and free states.

Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)

A Supreme Court decision that declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, stated Black people could not become U.S. citizens, and contributed to the start of the Civil War.

Civil War Amendments

The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, passed after the Civil War, which expanded federal power and aimed to guarantee liberties for newly freed slaves.

Fourteenth Amendment

The most important Civil War Amendment, passed to guarantee liberties for newly freed slaves and giving Congress power to force states to comply with the law, though its full impact on federal power was delayed.

Black Tuesday (October 29, 1929)

The day the stock market lost billions of dollars, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.

Great Depression

A severe economic downturn that began in 1929, leading to high unemployment and a significant shift in federal government intervention.

New Deal

An aggressive program of federal relief initiated by President Franklin Roosevelt to alleviate the problems caused by the Great Depression.

Neoliberalism

An approach in political economy focused on the power of free markets and a desire to eliminate government intervention in the economy, gaining traction in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

A landmark Supreme Court case that ruled segregated public schools are unconstitutional.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

A federal law that ended segregation of public spaces and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

A landmark federal law that removed state-level barriers to voting for Black Americans.

Executive Order 11246 (1965)

A presidential order that banned racial employment discrimination in government hiring and by federal contractors.

Loving v. Virginia (1967)

A Supreme Court case that ruled prohibitions on interracial marriage are unconstitutional.

Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1971)

A Supreme Court case that allowed busing to achieve racial integration of schools.

Laboratories of Democracy

A phrase coined by Justice Louis Brandeis, highlighting the potential advantage of the U.S. federal structure where states can experiment with solutions to social problems.

Prisoner's Dilemma

A theoretical problem in which individual rational behavior leads to a collectively suboptimal outcome, often used to understand why federal intervention might be necessary for states.

Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918)

An early Supreme Court case that struck down initial attempts by the federal government to regulate child labor.

Race to the Bottom

A policy problem stemming from the Prisoner's Dilemma logic, where states or localities competitively lower standards (e.g., environmental, labor, tax incentives) to attract businesses, leading to a suboptimal outcome for all.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (1970)

A federal agency created to set national regulations on pollution and help avoid a 'race to the bottom' among states regarding environmental standards.

Devolution

A process of transferring some power back to the states, which began under President Nixon and accelerated under President Reagan, often through fiscal means.

Fiscal Federalism

The way the federal government uses financial incentives (e.g., grants) to encourage states to cooperate with federal policies, acting as a 'carrot' rather than a 'stick'.

Block Grants

A type of federal grant that allocates a set amount of money to a government (state or locality) for a particular program, with the recipient in charge of administering the program with fewer federal strings attached.

Matching Grants

A type of federal grant where the federal government will match the amount spent by a state on a particular program, usually at a fixed rate, incentivizing states to increase spending.

Arizona v. U.S. (2012)

A Supreme Court case that struck down several provisions of Arizona's state law regulating immigration, reaffirming that immigration enforcement is primarily a federal responsibility.

Sanctuary Cities

Cities that have decided not to allow their local law enforcement officers to aid the federal government in the enforcement of federal immigration law.