FEDERALISM Explained [AP Government Review]
Summary
TLDRThis video from 'Hammers History' delves into the concept of federalism in the US government, clarifying that it's not about the federal government itself but rather the division of power between state and national governments. It explains how federalism ensures a balance of power, with examples like the interstate highway system. The script also touches on the evolution of federalism, from dual federalism to marble cake federalism, and finally to fiscal federalism, where the federal government provides funds to states with certain conditions attached. Key constitutional amendments like the 10th and 14th are highlighted for their role in shaping federalism.
Takeaways
- đ Federalism is a fundamental concept in the US government, often misunderstood as referring to the federal government, but actually pertains to the division of power between the national and state governments.
- đïž The framers of the US Constitution chose not to create a unitary government, instead opting for federalism, which divides power between the central government and the states.
- đ€ Federalism involves a balance of power, with national and state governments having some areas of independence and some areas of shared responsibility, such as the interstate highway system.
- đ The Constitution's structure, including the Tenth Amendment and the Full Faith and Credit Clause, reflects the principles of federalism by granting substantial powers to both the national and state governments.
- đ The 14th Amendment plays a crucial role in federalism by giving the federal government the power to nullify discriminatory state laws and ensuring equal protection under the law.
- đš The McCulloch v. Maryland case in 1819 was a pivotal moment in the interpretation of federalism, establishing the federal government's authority to establish a National Bank and the supremacy of federal law over state law.
- đ° The evolution of federalism has seen different models, including dual federalism (layer-cake model), where national and state governments operate largely independently, and marble cake federalism, where there is more overlap and shared power.
- đ” Fiscal federalism, which emerged more prominently in the 20th century, involves the federal government providing funds to states with certain conditions attached, thus influencing state policies.
- đ« Categorical grants and block grants are examples of how fiscal federalism operates today, with the federal government using financial incentives to shape state policies in areas like education and healthcare.
- đ The dynamic between state sovereignty and national sovereignty is ongoing, with federalism's evolution reflecting the constant negotiation and redefinition of power between different levels of government.
Q & A
What is the main concept of federalism in the context of the US government?
-Federalism in the context of the US government refers to the division of power between the national (federal) government and state governments. It is not solely about the federal government but rather the separation of powers under the US constitutional system.
Why might the term 'federalism' be confusing to students of US government?
-The term 'federalism' might be confusing because it sounds like it's only about the federal government, but it actually pertains to the distribution of power between the federal and state governments.
How does the Constitution ensure a balance of power between the national and state governments?
-The Constitution ensures a balance of power through the principle of federalism, which divides authority between the national and state governments. It grants substantial powers to both levels of government, as seen in the Tenth Amendment and the Full Faith and Credit Clause.
What is the significance of the Tenth Amendment in understanding state power within federalism?
-The Tenth Amendment is significant as it reserves powers to the states that are not expressly given to the federal government by the Constitution, thus reinforcing state sovereignty.
Can you explain the concept of 'dual federalism' as mentioned in the script?
-Dual federalism, also known as layer-cake federalism, is a model where the national government and state governments operate largely independently with only minimal overlap, like separate layers in a cake.
What is the 'marble cake federalism' and how does it differ from dual federalism?
-Marble cake federalism is a model that emerged after the 1930s, particularly with the New Deal, where the federal government became more involved in areas traditionally under state control. It differs from dual federalism by having more intermingling of powers between the federal and state governments, similar to the way flavors blend in a marble cake.
How does the concept of 'fiscal federalism' work in the context of US government?
-Fiscal federalism refers to the current model where the federal government provides funds to states for various programs but with attached conditions and requirements, thus influencing state policies and practices.
What is the difference between categorical grants and block grants as described in the script?
-Categorical grants are federal funds that must be used for a specific purpose, often with coercive conditions attached. Block grants, on the other hand, provide funds for a broad policy area but allow states more discretion in how to spend the money within that area.
Why did the Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland in 1819 challenge the federalist system?
-McCulloch v. Maryland challenged the federalist system by testing the authority of the federal government to establish a national bank, which was seen as an overreach by some states. The Supreme Court upheld the federal government's right to establish the bank, reinforcing the principle of federal supremacy.
How does the 14th Amendment impact the balance of power between state and federal governments?
-The 14th Amendment impacts the balance of power by providing the federal government with the authority to nullify discriminatory state laws and ensure equal protection under the law for all citizens, thus strengthening federal power in certain areas.
Outlines
đïž Understanding Federalism in the U.S. Government
This paragraph introduces the concept of federalism, which is often misunderstood as being synonymous with the federal government. The speaker clarifies that federalism is not about the federal government per se but rather about the division of power between the national government and state governments. The Constitution framers chose not to create a unitary government with all power centralized but instead opted for a system where power is shared. This system allows for some independence between national and state governments while also recognizing overlapping areas of concern, such as the interstate highway system. The speaker emphasizes that federalism is fundamental to how the U.S. government operates, with the Tenth Amendment highlighting state sovereignty and the Full Faith and Credit Clause and the 14th Amendment illustrating the balance of power and the federal government's ability to nullify discriminatory state laws.
đ Evolution of Federalism in the United States
The second paragraph delves into the historical evolution of federalism. Initially, the U.S. operated under a dual federalism model, where the national and state governments were largely independent, akin to separate layers in a layer cake. This began to change in the 1930s with the implementation of Roosevelt's New Deal, leading to a more hands-on approach by the federal government in areas traditionally under state control, thus moving towards a marble cake federalism. The paragraph also discusses the shift to fiscal federalism, where the federal government provides funds to states with attached conditions, exemplified by the requirement for states to set speed limits in exchange for highway repair funds. The speaker explains the two main types of federal grants: categorical grants, which are tied to specific spending categories and can be coercive, and block grants, which offer more flexibility within a policy area. The evolution of federalism is presented as a dynamic process that has shaped the relationship between the national and state governments over time.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄFederalism
đĄUnitary Government
đĄSeparation of Power
đĄTenth Amendment
đĄFull Faith and Credit Clause
đĄ14th Amendment
đĄDual Federalism
đĄMarble Cake Federalism
đĄFiscal Federalism
đĄCategorical Grants
đĄBlock Grants
Highlights
Federalism is a fundamental concept in the US government, but it's often misunderstood.
The term 'federalism' does not refer to the federal government but to the separation of power.
Power in the US is divided between the national government and state governments.
National and state governments have independent powers but also overlapping areas of concern.
The interstate highway system is an example of shared power between federal and state governments.
The Constitution ensures a separation of power between the national and state governments.
The Tenth Amendment is crucial for understanding state sovereignty.
Article 4 of the Constitution, including the Full Faith and Credit Clause, shifts power towards the central government.
The 14th Amendment gives the federal government power to nullify discriminatory state laws.
Federalism has evolved over US history, with different models such as dual federalism and marble cake federalism.
Dual federalism, or layer-cake federalism, describes a system where national and state governments operate largely independently.
Marble cake federalism, post-1930s, sees the federal government taking a more hands-on approach in areas traditionally under state control.
Fiscal federalism is the current model, where the federal government provides funds to states with attached conditions.
Categorical grants are federal funds tied to specific spending categories with conditions for states.
Block grants offer states more flexibility within a policy area, though still with federal conditions.
Federalism's evolution reflects ongoing debates about the balance of power between national and state governments.
Transcripts
hi and welcome back to hammers history
US government edition now in this video
we're gonna talk about federalism and if
there's one idea that confuses students
of US government more than any other
idea it's this one the thing is it's not
even that it's that hard to understand
it's just that the word federalism is
very confusing but if you confuse the
meaning of federalism you miss out on
one of the most fundamental concepts of
how our government works how about I
split it up real nice for you with some
jelly on the side so what is federalism
and why does it matter well I need to
begin by telling you that federalism is
not what it sounds like it sounds like
we're talking about the federal
government which is to say Big Daddy
government who lives in Washington DC so
when you go to a party and you get into
a conversation you say you're studying
federalism in school which in my opinion
is pretty solid party talk but the other
person is probably thinking is all
you're learning about the president in
the Supreme Court and the Congress which
is to say the federal government but
hear me that is not what we are talking
about when we talk about federalism does
federalism mean we're talking about the
federal government how many ways can I
say no if I were german I'd say nein if
I were South African I'd say me if I
were an ancient Roman I'd say many may
know federalism does not mean we're
talking about the federal government so
what does it mean federalism is pure and
simple about the separation of power
under our particular form of government
it is the people who have the power and
we have consented to giving some of that
power to the governments so if the
framers of the Constitution decided to
take all of that power and jam it into
one power sandwich we'd have what's
called a unitary government there would
be one centralized government with one
ring to rule them all but the framers
did not do that they decided to cut that
sandwich in two and that cutting is
called federalism they gave some power
to the central government and gave some
power to the state's government and
that's all federalism means in our
government power is divided between the
state governments and the national
government so what that means in
practice is that national governments
and state governments are somewhat
independent of one
when it comes to power but there's also
some overlapping areas of concern when
it comes to power
for example the national government is
responsible for foreign policy in the
state government is responsible for
keeping people safe through a police
force and in that way the federal
government and state governments are
largely independent of one another an
example of how these entities share
power is the interstate highway system
on these roads you can travel from state
to state and both the federal government
and state governments share
responsibility for them and I can give
you a thousand other examples but the
main point here is that the Constitution
made sure may be absolute sure that
power was separated between the national
government and the state government so
let's look more closely at how it does
that on an initial reading of the
Constitution it may seem like if there
was a stronger central government at the
expense of state government you might be
convinced of that by article 1 which
gives all the powers that Congress has
and the list is pretty long but when the
Constitution talks about state power the
list is relatively short but the
Constitution actually does grant the
states substantial power for example the
Tenth Amendment is the Haven of state
sovereignty and it reads like this 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 but if we look at article
4 of the Constitution we can see power
shifting more towards the central
government for example we have the Full
Faith and Credit Clause which says that
states must respect the laws of other
states that's pretty nice because it
means that I can get into my car here in
Georgia drive clear across the country
to California and I don't have to stop
at every state and get a new drivers
license because in each state they will
honor my Georgia's driver's license as
valid and another key part of the
Constitution for understanding
federalism is the 14th amendment it
reads this way no State shall make or
enforce any law which shall abridge the
privileges or immunities of citizens of
the United States nor shall any state
deprive any person of life liberty or
property without due process of law nor
deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the
laws now this amendment was passed in
the wake of the Civil War and those
meant to give the federal government
power to nullify discriminatory state
laws for example after the Civil War
southerners were fond of giving literacy
tests meant to bar former slaves from
voting but the 14th amendment can also
work the other way around for example in
2013 the Supreme Court struck down part
of the Voting Rights Act and they
justified this by saying that the
federal government had
place too heavy a burden on the states
okay so that's a brief explanation of
how federalism work and as you can
imagine the line between where state
sovereignty and where national
sovereignty both begin and end has
always been about and so it's helpful to
see how federalism has evolved over the
history of our country so the first real
challenge to our federalist system came
in 1819 in a Supreme Court case called
McCulloch versus Maryland back in those
days Congress established a branch of
the National Bank in the state of
Maryland now in case you forgot your US
history many states in those days
despised the establishment of a National
Bank
so what Maryland decided to do when
Congress put a branch of the National
Bank in their state was to pass a law
that said any bank in that state that
was not chartered by the state of
Maryland was subject to a hefty annual
tax when the federal government told
Maryland to stop it they found
themselves before Chief Justice John
Marshall in the Supreme Court
essentially Marshall ruled that since
the Constitution explicitly gives the
federal government the right to coin and
regulate money it also had the right to
establish a National Bank to handle that
money under the Necessary and Proper
Clause of the Constitution and
furthermore once this ruling was handed
down the Supremacy Clause ensured that
the decision for the federal
government's law would trump that of the
state governments laws now since that
time different models of federalism have
come and gone up till about 1930 which
basically operated under a system called
dual federalism and that just basically
meant that the national government and
the state government operated largely
independently of another with just a
little bit overlap in the middle this is
also known as layer-cake federalism
because when you cut a layer cake you
can see that each layer is its own
distinct and sovereign layer and yes
they both mush together in the middle
with that icing but mainly they are
separate entities and then after the
1930s especially with the implementation
of Roosevelt's New Deal we moved more
into what's called a marble cake
federalism in this kind of federalism
the federal government becomes much more
hands-on in areas which previously were
solely the domain of States so for
example with the rollout of all the New
Deal programs the federal government
provided the money for many of those
programs but the states were responsible
for making things happen it's not nearly
as clean as a layer cake you've got
power bleeding across the boundaries in
both directions since that time
federalism most further evolved into
what we have to
namely fiscal federalism basically what
that means is that today federalism
basically operates in terms of money the
federal government provides huge sums of
money to States for various programs but
with every check they write to the
states there are strings attached and
requirements by which the states must
abide if they want the funds so for
example in the 1970s the federal
government offered money to the states
for highway or repair but in exchange
the states had to agree to set speed
limits on those highways to 55 miles an
hour now let's take a little further
into this idea of fiscal federalism
because you hear about it in the news
all the time even if you don't know
that's what they're talking about today
most of the federal money comes to the
states in two forms categorical grants
and block grants a categorical grant is
federal money that must be attached to a
specific category of spending like a
school lunch program but the tricky
thing about these is that the federal
government can act in coercive ways when
giving out these grants for example
requiring a state to set the drinking
age to 21 before giving it funds for
highway repair but block grants are a
little less heavy-handed the federal
government gives states block grants
that must be used within a specific
policy area like say healthcare and then
lets the state decide how they're going
to spend that money within the bounds of
that area I'm not just trying to throw
vocabulary at you these kinds of grants
actually illustrate how federalism works
today
the reason why the federal government
does this is because normally the states
wouldn't have access to all that extra
money and that's a win for the States
but in putting conditions I'm accepting
that money the national government win
because then it can implement its
national policies which the states
otherwise would not implement and that's
a very good thing so that's how
federalism works and that's why it's
important now I don't know about you but
I'm gonna go find me a cake all right
thanks for watching if you learned
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