ch 3 Federalism textbook q's

Most conflicts that arise in the United States among the levels of government—local, state, and national—center on

disputes about what is the appropriate role of government.

Because the United States' federal system disperses power to more than one level of government, it can create conflict over who should be doing what.

State powers typically involve things like _________________, while national powers encompass things like___________________________.

public welfare; economic stability

National powers tend to be rooted in the Constitution, with issues such as regulating commerce. State powers include many powers not spelled out in the Constitution and reserved to the states.

In ratifying the Constitution, states understood that they would be losing some powers they had under the Articles of Confederation. Most of the powers that states surrendered to the new central government allowed for which of the following?

greater economic stability and national security

The major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation were economic and related to security; the inability for the states to act together in a crisis led to the Constitutional Convention.

Not only did the framers of the Constitution outline the supremacy of the national government and national policies, but they also addressed conflicts between states by doing which of the following?

creating obligations requiring states to honor the acts and public policies of other states

The Articles of Confederation suffered from too little national power; the Constitution was drafted to address this issue and include many features that encouraged more unity.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Upheld the national government's right to create a bank and reaffirmed the idea of "national supremacy.

Less state power

Gibbons vs Ogden (1824)

Held that Congress, rather than the states, has broad power to regulate interstate commerce.

Less state power

Generally, the balance of power between the state and the national government can be characterized as

increasing national authority.

The national government of today is far more powerful than it was when the Constitution was adopted; while states do retain significant power, the national government is supreme.

How did the ratification of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments set the stage for a modern shift in the power balance between the state and national governments?

The specific prohibition of states making policies that violate due process or equal protection allowed for the future expansion of national regulations over states.

Adopted in the aftermath of the Civil War, these amendments were enormously consequential in expanding the reach of the national government.

What does the phrase "picket fence federalism" describe about the nature of federalism today?

People in government who work in a particular policy area are often connected to people who work in all levels of government who also work in that policy area.

This is in contrast to dual federalism in which the levels of government had different and separate areas of influence.

One of the most significant changes about the relationship between the national and state governments after the Great Depression is the

increase in financial entanglements and dependence between the state and national governments.

Through the use of grants, the federal government has become far more involved in the financing of state government and policies enacted at the state level.

US vs Lopez

Carrying a gun in a school did not fall within "interstate commerce"; thus, Congress could not prohibit the possession of guns on school property.

More state power

Which statement best describes the disagreement between conservative and liberal views of federalism?

Liberals and conservatives disagree on which level (state or national) of government best protects the rights and liberties of Americans.

Most liberals and conservatives do not agree on which levels of government should carry out what, with liberals tending toward preferring national government to protect rights and liberties, and conservatives preferring the states.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of a strong national government is

increased ability to coordinate resources and responses to truly national problems.

A major shortcoming of the Articles of Confederation was its lack of a strong coordinating role for national government. Individual states working toward different goals are less well equipped to respond to national- and international-level issues.