FederalismKeeping Government

Balanced

It Is All About the POWER!!!

• The study of government is the study of power.

• In the US, there are 3 levels of government:– Federal government– State government– Local government

Power In American History

• After the American Revolution, the states held all of the power under the Articles of Confederation, while the federal government had very little.

• The Articles failed because all of the states were fighting for all of the power.

Power to the Feds• Under the US

Constitution, most of the power went to the federal government.

• The Anti-Federalists thought that was giving too much power to the federal government, leading to a “new king.”

The Bill of Rights• To make sure that power was

balanced, the founding fathers created the 9th and 10th amendments.– 9th amendment – Powers not

specifically written in the Constitution belong to the people.

– 10th amendment – Powers not specifically given to the federal government is given to the states.

What power does the federal government have?

• #1 – expressed powers – power given directly to the federal government in the Constitution.

• #2 – implied powers – power given to carry out expressed powers.

• #3 – inherent powers – power grown out of necessity.

So what rights do the states get?

• Reserved powers –This gives the states primary control of our daily activities.

• The state creates laws relevant to our daily lives.

And What If the Two Disagree?

And the winner is ….

The federal government!!! by way of the Supremacy Clause

vs

Where does the Local Gov’t “fit in”?

• The local gov’t gets it power from the state. They are not provided for in the Constitution.

• With the growth of America came the need to meet peoples needs.

• The local gov’t takes care of issues in townships and/or cities called ordinances.

• This includes local infrastructure, education, and other local interests.