FEDERALISM: The Relationship Between STATES and FEDERAL Government [AP Gov Review, Unit 1 Topic 7]
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, the concept of federalism is explored, emphasizing its significance in the AP Government curriculum. The video clarifies that federalism is not about federal power but the sharing of power between national and state governments. It explains exclusive, reserved, and concurrent powers, and how societal needs influence this balance. Fiscal federalism, through grants and mandates, is highlighted as a key mechanism for power distribution, with a focus on the evolution from categorical to block grants, and the impact of unfunded mandates. The video concludes by underscoring the dynamic nature of federalism in response to societal issues.
Takeaways
- 📚 Federalism refers to the sharing of power between national and state governments, not just federal power.
- 🏛️ Exclusive powers are those given solely to the federal government, such as declaring war.
- 🏫 Reserved powers are the rights retained by states, not delegated to the federal government, including education and policing.
- 💼 Concurrent powers are shared between federal and state governments, like taxation.
- 💵 Fiscal federalism involves the use of federal funds to influence state compliance with national standards.
- 📑 Categorical grants are federal funds given to states with specific conditions attached to their use.
- 🧩 Block grants offer more flexibility to states, allowing them to decide how to spend the money within broad categories.
- 📋 Mandates require states to follow federal directives, often with federal funding provided to assist in compliance.
- 🚫 Unfunded mandates are directives from the federal government that states must follow without receiving financial assistance.
- 🔄 Over time, the balance of power in federalism has shifted, with periods of increased state autonomy and others of greater federal control.
Q & A
What is federalism?
-Federalism is the sharing of power between national and state governments, as opposed to referring solely to the power of the federal government.
What are the three types of powers that describe the relationship between state and national government power?
-The three types of powers are exclusive powers, reserved powers, and concurrent powers. Exclusive powers are those given to the federal government alone, reserved powers are kept by the states, and concurrent powers are shared by both levels of government.
What is an example of an exclusive power?
-An example of an exclusive power is the federal government's authority to declare war, which cannot be exercised by individual states.
What does the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution state regarding reserved powers?
-The 10th Amendment states that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states respectively or to the people.
Can you provide an example of a concurrent power?
-Taxation is an example of a concurrent power, where both the federal and state governments have the authority to levy taxes.
What is fiscal federalism?
-Fiscal federalism refers to the manifestation of federalism through financial means, where the federal government uses funding to influence state compliance with national standards.
How do categorical grants illustrate fiscal federalism?
-Categorical grants are a form of fiscal federalism where the federal government provides funds to states on the condition that they comply with specific federal standards.
What is the difference between categorical grants and block grants?
-Categorical grants come with specific federal requirements on how the funds must be used, while block grants offer broader categories with fewer restrictions, giving states more discretion over spending.
What is a mandate in the context of fiscal federalism?
-A mandate is a federal directive that requires states to follow certain rules or regulations, often with federal funding provided to help states comply with these mandates.
What is an unfunded mandate and why are states generally opposed to them?
-An unfunded mandate is a federal requirement that states must follow without receiving any financial assistance from the federal government to cover the costs. States are opposed to them because they must bear the financial burden of compliance.
How has the approach to federalism shifted over the past few decades in the U.S.?
-The approach to federalism has shifted towards giving states more discretion in how they spend federal funds, with a decrease in unfunded mandates and an increase in the use of block grants since the 1980s and 1990s.
Outlines
🏛️ Federalism and Power Allocation
This paragraph introduces the concept of federalism, emphasizing that it is not solely about federal power but rather the sharing of power between the national and state governments. It explains that societal needs influence the constitutional division of power. The video aims to clarify the misunderstanding that federalism refers only to federal power and stresses that it is about the balance between state and national authority. The paragraph outlines three types of powers: exclusive powers given to the federal government, reserved powers retained by the states, and concurrent powers shared between both levels of government. It uses examples such as the federal government's exclusive right to declare war and states' responsibility for areas like education and policing to illustrate these concepts.
💼 Fiscal Federalism and Grants
This paragraph delves into fiscal federalism, which is the manifestation of federalism through financial means. It explains how Congress can use funds to influence state compliance with national standards. The paragraph introduces categorical grants, which are federal funds given to states with specific conditions attached, and block grants, which offer more flexibility to states in how they use the funds. The video provides historical examples, like the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, to show how categorical grants were used to enforce federal education and civil rights policies. It contrasts this with block grants, which were introduced to give states more autonomy. The paragraph also touches on mandates, both funded and unfunded, and how they affect state compliance with federal directives, using the Clean Air Act and the No Child Left Behind Act as examples. The paragraph concludes by discussing the shift towards block grants and the reduction of unfunded mandates, reflecting the ebb and flow of power between state and federal governments.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Federalism
💡Exclusive Powers
💡Reserved Powers
💡Concurrent Powers
💡Fiscal Federalism
💡Categorical Grants
💡Block Grants
💡Mandates
💡Unfunded Mandates
💡Devolution
Highlights
Introduction to the concept of federalism and its importance in the AP Government curriculum.
Clarification that federalism is not about federal power but the sharing of power between national and state governments.
Explanation of exclusive powers, which are powers given solely to the federal government by the Constitution.
Description of reserved powers, which are powers retained by the states as per the 10th Amendment.
Introduction to concurrent powers, which are shared by both national and state governments, exemplified by taxation.
Discussion on how societal needs affect the balance of power between national and state governments over time.
Introduction to fiscal federalism, which is the use of federal funding to influence state compliance with national standards.
Explanation of categorical grants, which are federal funds given to states with specific requirements.
Historical context of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its impact on federal involvement in education.
Role of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in increasing federal control over public education.
Introduction to block grants, which offer more flexibility to states in how they spend federal funds.
Comparison between categorical and block grants in terms of state preference and federal control.
Discussion on federal mandates, which require states to follow federal directives, often with financial assistance.
Example of the Clean Air Act and how it illustrates the use of federal mandates with financial support.
Explanation of unfunded mandates, which are federal directives without accompanying financial support, unpopular among states.
Historical context of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 as an example of an unfunded mandate.
Discussion on the devolution revolution under Ronald Reagan, which aimed to return power to the states.
Impact of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 on limiting the federal government's ability to issue unfunded mandates.
Conclusion on the dynamic nature of federalism and its response to societal issues over time.
Transcripts
hey there and welcome back to heimler's
history we've been going through unit 1
of the ap government curriculum and in
this video it's time to talk about
federalism so if you're ready to get
their brain cows milked well then let's
get to it so in this video here's what
we're trying to accomplish explain how
societal needs affect the constitutional
allocation of power between the national
and state governments okay so the
allegation of power between national and
state governments and there is a word
for that and i need to introduce you to
it now the word for this sharing of
power between state and national
governments is federalism let's just
pause here for a moment because this
term federalism is an endless scourge to
ap government students in all times and
in all places when your exam or your
teacher or whatever asks you about
federalism you are going to be tempted
oh so tempted to believe that this is
referring to the power of the federal
government i wouldn't blame you because
that's what the word sounds like and
just like jesus himself prayed for peter
that he might not fall into the
temptation of the devil i too pray that
you would not fall into the temptation
of believing such falsehoods federalism
is not about federal power federalism
describes the sharing of power between
national government and state government
that's it don't get confused now why am
i laboring over this small detail it's
because federalism is a very significant
concept in this course and if you don't
understand what it's talking about well
you burn now in order to understand the
sharing of power i need to introduce you
to three terms which describe the
relationship between state and national
government power first is exclusive
powers which are powers delegated by the
constitution to the federal government
alone for example only the federal
congress can declare war for the nation
and no state can do that because that
would be kind of awkward hey guys
minnesota here just wanted to let you
guys know that we just declared war with
canada so
can't happen only the national
government can declare war then there
are the reserved powers and those are
all the powers kept by the states now
the justification for reserved powers
comes in the 10th amendment to the
constitution which reads the powers not
delegated to the united states by the
constitution nor prohibited by it to the
states are reserved to the states
respectively or to the people so if a
power is not explicitly given to the
federal government and not prohibited to
the states then that power belongs to
the states and over time that's included
things like policing in hospitals and
education and then there are concurrent
powers which both national and state
governments share taxation is an example
of concurrent powers and if you have a
job where you get a paycheck you may
have noticed that taxes are withheld
both for the federal government and your
state government okay so now that you
understand what federalism is we need to
talk about how the sharing of that power
shifts between the national government
and the state government and how the
needs of society affect how that balance
is struck over time because it is not
always the same now over the course of
the last century one of the most
significant ways federalism has been
manifested is through something called
fiscal federalism or federalism via
dollars and let me explain so congress
can establish national standards and
then direct funds to states that comply
with those standards and then withhold
funding from those who do not and that
happens in many ways through grants the
first kind of grant that illustrates
fiscal federalism is called a
categorical grant these grants give
federal money to the states as long as
they comply with specific federal
standards in other words if states
accept that money there are strings
attached and the state must use that
money for the purpose and in the way
that is stipulated by the federal
government for example the first big
step by the federal government into
education was during the administration
of lyndon b johnson and remember
traditionally education is the domain of
the state first came the civil rights
act of 1964 which among other things
prohibited federal funds from being
distributed to segregated schools thus
if schools wanted federal money which
many of them desperately needed they
would have to comply with federal school
integration laws then came the
elementary and secondary education act
of 1965 which increased the federal
government's control over public
education by stipulating further
requirements to be met if a school is
going to receive federal dollars so
categorical grants were very much used
to bring states into line with the
federal education and civil rights
agenda now as you can imagine although
many states gobbled up the money from
these categorical grants they weren't
too happy with the growing power of the
federal government so in 1966 the first
block grant was created which was a move
that returned some of the power back to
the states this kind of grant is like a
categorical grant money given to the
states by the federal government but in
this case there are far fewer strings
attached in the case of block grants the
federal government gives money to be
spent in a broad category but the states
determine exactly how that money is to
be spent within those boundaries so for
example congress has established a
community developed block grant and
gives that money to the states for the
purpose of you know community
development but the states can decide
exactly what kind of community
development they want to do with that
money they can build sewage plants or
redevelop abandoned homes or whatever
the point is states like block grants a
lot more than categorical grants because
they have a lot more decision-making
power when it comes to spending the
money okay now another way fiscal
federalism is played out is through
mandates mandates require states to
follow federal directives but in a lot
of cases the state's budget isn't nearly
big enough to pay for such
implementation so in this case the
federal government gives money toward
the carrying out of these mandates for
example when the clean air act was
passed it created national environmental
standards so it put limits on the amount
of carbon dioxide emissions that certain
entities could emit and in order to
comply with those standards the states
needed some boom boom to make it happen
so the federal government set the
standards and because of the supremacy
clause in the constitution states were
required to comply and the feds gave
money to the states in order to help
them fall in line with the national
standard now there is such a thing as an
unfunded mandate and the states hate
that worst of all and it's exactly what
it sounds like the federal government
sets the mandate and then provides no
funds to help states comply a good
example of an unfunded mandate is the no
child left behind act of 2001. it
required states that received federal
funding for education to give
standardized tests to students and if
those students were not improving year
over year then the law said that the
schools must either hire or fire
teachers or otherwise work to improve
student scores on these tests but and
here's the kicker it was the schools who
had to pay for their improvement program
so to put it mildly this was not popular
among the states however starting in the
1980s with ronald reagan's devolution
revolution in which power was
progressively returned to the states
unfunded mandates became even more rare
and since that time congress has majored
on block grants to give states more
discretion on how to spend federal
dollars and then it was in 1995 that
president clinton signed the unfunded
mandates reform act which severely
curtailed the federal government's
ability to issue unfunded mandate so the
point of all this is simple federalism
is the sharing of power between state
and national governments and over time
depending on the issues of the day that
sharing of power has shifted back and
forth between states and the federal
government okay that's what you need to
know about unit one topic seven of the
ap government curriculum i wouldn't call
it a mandate but if you want help
getting an a in your class and a five on
your exam in may then click right here
and grab my review packet if you want me
to keep making these videos for you then
you can let me know that by subscribing
heimler out
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