Constitution Hall Pass: Federalism

Summary

Constitution Hall Pass explores federalism, a key aspect of the U.S. constitutional system, which balances power between national, state, and local governments. Originating from the U.S. Constitution, it addresses the challenge faced by the founding fathers to prevent a too-powerful central government while ensuring national unity. The video discusses the historical context of federalism, its structure with three branches of government at each level, and examples of how it operates, including the Civil Rights Act and state-led innovations like women's suffrage.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ Federalism is a system that divides power between national, state, and local governments in the United States.
• 📜 The concept of federalism originates from the United States Constitution to balance national and state powers.
• 🏳️‍🌟 Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government was weak, and most power resided with the states.
• 🤝 The Constitutional Convention of 1787 aimed to create a balance between a strong national government and powerful state governments.
• 🏦 The national government has broad powers that affect the entire country, such as signing treaties and declaring war.
• 🏫 State governments have significant responsibilities, including setting education standards and determining driver's license age requirements.
• 🏘️ Local governments, like city councils and school boards, manage community-specific issues like policing and zoning.
• 🧪 States are referred to as 'laboratories of democracy' where they can test new laws and policies that may later influence national laws.
• 📊 Federalism allows for a dynamic relationship where both state and national governments can influence each other's laws and policies.
• 📚 The script provides historical examples, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, showing how federalism has protected individual rights.

Q & A

What is federalism?

Federalism is the system of dividing power in the United States between different levels of government: national, state, and local. It is designed to balance the power between a national government that can handle matters affecting the whole country and state and local governments that can better carry out the wills and wishes of the people.

Why was federalism chosen as a system of government in the United States?

Federalism was chosen to balance the need for a strong national government that could address issues affecting the entire country with the desire to maintain state and local control over matters that are more regional or local in nature.

What were the challenges faced by the founding fathers in creating a balanced government?

The founding fathers faced the challenge of creating a government that was strong enough to handle national issues but not so strong that it would overpower the states and ignore local needs and preferences.

What was the governmental structure like under the Articles of Confederation?

Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government was very weak, and most of the power belonged to the states. The national government struggled to perform basic functions like collecting taxes, raising troops, or preventing states from signing their own treaties with other nations.

What were the roles of James Wilson, Governor Morris, and James Madison in the Constitutional Convention of 1787?

James Wilson, Governor Morris, and James Madison were leaders at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where they helped to create a new system of government that divided power among national, state, and local authorities to strike a balance between protecting citizens' rights, preserving state authority, and empowering the national government.

How does the national government's power under federalism differ from that of state governments?

The national government under federalism has the power to handle matters that affect the entire country, such as signing treaties, printing money, establishing a system of weights and measures, and declaring war. State governments, on the other hand, have the authority to make laws and establish policies that meet their own values and preferences, such as setting education standards and determining driving age.

What is the significance of the Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis's description of states as 'laboratories of democracy'?

Justice Louis Brandeis's description of states as 'laboratories of democracy' signifies that states often lead the way in trying out new laws and policies. Successful policies can then spread to other states or even influence national laws, allowing for experimentation and adaptation in governance.

How did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 exemplify the national government's role in protecting individual rights?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 exemplify the national government's role in protecting individual rights by addressing unjust state laws that restricted rights, particularly for African Americans, and ensuring that all citizens were treated equally under the law.

Why did some states extend voting rights to women before the 19th Amendment was ratified?

Some states, like Wyoming, extended voting rights to women before the 19th Amendment was ratified as part of their role as 'laboratories of democracy,' testing out new ideas and policies. This allowed them to lead the way in advancing women's suffrage, which eventually led to the nationwide ratification of the 19th Amendment.

What can one do to learn more about federalism and other constitutional topics?

To learn more about federalism and other constitutional topics, one can download the interactive Constitution app or visit the website of the National Constitution Center.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Introduction to Federalism

The video script introduces the concept of federalism as a key component of the U.S. constitutional system. It explains that federalism is the division of power between different levels of government: national, state, and local. The video aims to explore the origins of federalism, its purpose, and how it balances the needs of the country. It also discusses the historical context, including the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the founding fathers' efforts to create a balanced government during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The script sets the stage for a deeper dive into how federalism operates and its impact on American governance.

05:01

📚 How Federalism Functions

This paragraph delves into the practical workings of federalism in the United States. It outlines the three branches of the national government and their roles in creating, executing, and interpreting laws. The script highlights the national government's authority over matters that affect the entire country, such as treaty signing and monetary policy. It then moves to the state level, explaining how states have their own governments with similar structures and the autonomy to legislate on issues like education and driver's licensing. The paragraph also touches on the role of local governments in addressing community-specific concerns. The concept of states as 'laboratories of democracy' is introduced, illustrating how state-level experiments can lead to broader national changes. Conversely, the script discusses how the national government can enact laws to protect citizens' rights when state laws are unjust, using the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as examples.

10:13

🎵 Conclusion and Call to Action

The final paragraph serves as a conclusion to the discussion on federalism. It summarizes the key points about the balance of power between national and state governments and the dynamic interplay between them. The script wraps up with an invitation for viewers to learn more about federalism and other constitutional topics by using the interactive Constitution app or visiting the National Constitution Center's website. The host, Beach Ano, signs off, signaling the end of the episode.

Keywords

💡Federalism

Federalism is a system of government where power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units such as states or provinces. In the context of the video, federalism is one of the most important parts of the U.S. constitutional system, designed to balance the power between the national government and state governments. It is illustrated through the historical challenges faced by the founding fathers, who sought to avoid the pitfalls of a weak central government as experienced under the Articles of Confederation.

💡Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention refers to the meeting of delegates in 1787 to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation and draft a new constitution for the United States. The video emphasizes the Convention's role in settling on federalism as a solution to the country's diverse needs, highlighting the efforts of figures like James Wilson, Governor Morris, and James Madison.

💡Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the United States and was in effect from 1781 to 1789. The video describes how under this document, the national government was very weak, and most of the power resided with the states. This system was problematic as it led to issues like the inability to collect taxes or raise troops effectively.

💡National Government

The national government, as discussed in the video, refers to the central government of a country, which in the U.S. context, has powers outlined in the Constitution. It is responsible for matters that affect the entire country, such as signing treaties, coining money, and declaring war. The video explains how the national government's powers were expanded under the new Constitution to address the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation.

💡State Governments

State governments are the governments of the individual states within a federal system. The video highlights their role in setting standards for education, determining legal ages for activities like driving, and representing the diverse values and preferences of their populations. State governments act as 'laboratories of democracy,' testing new laws and policies that can influence national legislation.

💡Local Governments

Local governments, as mentioned in the video, include county boards, city councils, and other municipal authorities that manage issues specific to their communities. They deal with local ordinances and services, such as policing, littering, and land zoning. The video emphasizes how local governments allow for the customization of laws and policies to meet the unique needs of their communities.

💡Legislative Branch

The legislative branch is one of the three branches of the U.S. federal government, responsible for making laws. The video explains that under federalism, the national legislative branch deals with matters that affect the entire country, while state and local legislative bodies focus on issues pertinent to their jurisdictions.

💡Executive Branch

The executive branch is responsible for enforcing the laws created by the legislative branch. In the video, it is mentioned as one of the three branches of the national government, which ensures that laws are carried out at the federal level, with similar branches existing at the state and local levels.

💡Judicial Branch

The judicial branch is the part of the government responsible for interpreting laws and overseeing the justice system. The video discusses its role at the national level, where it ensures that laws are in accordance with the Constitution, and how its decisions can impact state and local laws as well.

💡Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement is a significant period in U.S. history marked by protests and legislation aimed at ending racial segregation and discrimination. The video uses the movement to illustrate how the national government can enact laws to protect individual rights when state laws are unjust, referencing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

💡19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote. The video highlights the role of state governments in advancing women's suffrage before the amendment was ratified nationally, showing how state-level changes can lead to broader national reforms.

Highlights

Federalism is a system that divides power between national, state, and local levels of government.

The concept of federalism comes from the United States Constitution.

Federalism was designed to balance national governance with state and local autonomy.

The founding fathers faced the challenge of creating a balance between a strong national government and powerful state governments.

The Articles of Confederation, which preceded the Constitution, gave most power to the states.

Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government was too weak to handle basic national tasks.

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 aimed to create a stronger national government while preserving state authority.

The national government has powers that affect the entire country, such as signing treaties and declaring war.

State governments have the authority to set standards for education and determine licensing requirements.

Local governments handle community-specific issues like policing and zoning.

States are referred to as 'laboratories of democracy' for testing new laws and policies.

Successful state laws can influence national policy and spread to other states.

The national government can pass laws to protect citizens from unjust state laws.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 are examples of federal laws protecting citizens' rights.

Some states granted women the right to vote before the 19th Amendment was ratified.

Federalism allows for a dynamic relationship between state and national governments, influencing each other.

The National Constitution Center offers resources to learn more about federalism and constitutional topics.

Transcripts

welcome to Constitution Hall Pass I'm

vegan no here at the National

Constitution Center in Philadelphia

today we are looking at federalism one

of the most important parts of our

constitutional system of government

maybe you've heard that word before so

what does it mean and where does it come

from federalism is the system of

dividing power in this country between

different levels of government the

national level a state level and the

local level this division of power in

our government is spelled out from the

United States Constitution it was

created to strike a balance between a

national government that could take care

of matters that affect the whole country

and state and local governments that can

better carry out the wills and wishes of

the people striking bad balance was one

of the biggest challenges the founding

fathers faced when they met at the

Constitutional Convention in

Philadelphia back in 1787 so in this

episode we'll see why the Constitutional

Convention settled on federalism as a

way to take care of our country's

diverse needs we'll explore examples of

how different levels of government have

different responsibilities we'll even

look at a couple moments from history in

which federalism played a part in

protecting individual rights so let's

get started let's go back to the

beginning and look at the time period

just after we won our independence from

Great Britain at that point our

governmental structure was outlined in a

document called the Articles of

Confederation which was written during

the Revolutionary War

under the Articles the national

government was very weak and most of the

power belonged to the States

this was originally how the founding

fathers wanted it remember before the

Revolution the colonies were ruled by

the British so the main government where

most important decisions were made was

located all the way back in England with

no representatives from the colonies

that was really far away from the people

here in America who felt that the great

distance and lack of representation

meant that they didn't have any say in

how things were run in the colonies the

founding fathers didn't want the same

problem to occur in our new independent

country they knew that the 13th states

were all very different from one another

and they wanted to make sure that the

state governments which were closer to

their people would have a lot of say and

how things went but under the Articles

of Confederation the national government

was so weak that it couldn't even handle

basic things like collecting taxes

raising troops or stopping the states

from signing their own treaties with

other nations the states were acting

more like 13 separate countries they

were too busy bickering with one another

to support the federal government and as

a result foreign powers like Britain and

Spain were waiting for the new country

to fall apart recognising these issues

the founders called a convention in

Philadelphia back in 1787

led by people like James Wilson governor

Morris and James Madison the convention

sought to strike the right balance for

our government we needed to strengthen

the national government but still leave

enough authority with the individual

states so that the people would not

become too disconnected from the bodies

that governed their day-to-day lives it

took them four long months but the

convention delegates ended up creating a

new system of government for a young

country under the Constitution the

system they came up with didn't look

like any other government at that time

it divided power among national state

and local authorities in order to strike

a balance between protecting citizens

rights preserving state authority and

empowering the national government to

hold the country together

that system of dividing power among

those levels of government is called

federalism so let's take a look at how

federalism works under federalism there

are three levels of government in the

United States the national government

state governments and local governments

at the national level the government has

three branches the legislative branch

and makes laws the executive branch

which makes sure that laws are carried

out and the judicial branch responsible

for interpreting laws the national

governments powers generally deal with

the big picture stuff that affects the

entire country for example only the

national government has the power to

sign treaties print or coin money

establish a system of weights and

measures and declare war on other

nations the next level down from the

national government is made up of the

states each state has its own government

also with the same three branches state

governments have a lot of responsibility

too for example states get to set

standards for educating students and

they determine how old you have to be to

get a driver's license among many other

things this way

states are able to make laws and

establish policies that meet their own

values and preferences the things they'd

like to see get done as the founding

fathers knew our states can differ quite

a bit from one another they have

different economies different climates

even different histories so it's good

that they can make laws that meet those

values and preferences then there's

another level beneath the state

governments within each state there are

also local government bodies like county

boards and sheriffs city councils town

mayors and school board's these local

government bodies take care of the

values and preferences of their own

individual communities through things

like policing littering ordinances and

land zoning because our state

governments have a pretty broad range of

authority to make laws something

interesting happens sometimes in 1932

Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis

called the state's laboratories of

democracy

but he said that he meant that the state

governments often lead the way and

trying out new laws and policies when

those ideas work out well they can

spread to other states and even bubble

up to the national level changing the

way things work all across the country

so ideas that are tested out as state

laws sometimes lead to larger changes in

how our country works as a whole but not

all federal laws bubble up from the

states the same thing can happen in the

opposite direction too sometimes

the national government decides to

address the needs of its citizens by

passing laws that affect all 50 states

this happens when the national

government sees that states are making

laws that are unjust or restricting

people's rights so it passes new laws

that apply to the entire country and

individual states must comply this

trickles down and can mean big changes

for individual citizens in their own

communities the national government can

only act in areas where it's empowered

under the Constitution but there's

plenty of examples from history that

show us how that works the laws that

came out of the civil rights movement

are a really great example of this in

the years after the Civil War and

reconstruction many states passed laws

that restricted the rights of African

Americans to own property to be treated

as equal citizens and to vote rights

that were supposed to be guaranteed

under the 14th and 15th amendments so

many people from all backgrounds

protested against this kind of treatment

and when the national government heard

those voices protesting it decided that

the bad treatment had to stop so in

response the national government passed

laws like the Civil Rights Act of 1964

and the Voting Rights Act of 1965

protecting those citizens from the state

laws that harmed them

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other times it's the state governments

that lead the way when they act like

laboratories of democracy to test out

new ideas for example here's a question

when did women get the right to vote I

bet you might have said 1920 because

that was when the 19th amendment to the

Constitution was ratified that amendment

guarantees that no woman can be denied

the right to vote just because of her

gender but several states had actually

extended voting rights to women

decades before that Wyoming which was

the first state to guarantee women's

voting rights did it all the way back in

1869 while it was still a territory and

before it even became a state states

like Wyoming made the decision to test

out the idea of women's suffrage just

like a scientist tests out a hypothesis

in a laboratory by 1920 41 out of the 48

states had already allowed women to vote

and at least some elections and 14 of

those states had granted women full

suffrage so when the states then

ratified a constitutional amendment

guaranteeing women full suffrage

nationwide they were going off of the

success of an idea that had already been

tested in those state laboratories so

federalism allows both state and

national government to influence each

other that's a quick look at how

federalism works it came from the need

to balance national and state power in

the Constitution and it's continued to

shape our government in all the years

since then if you'd like to learn more

about federalism and other

constitutional topics you can download

our interactive constitution app or

visit our website at Constitution Center

org from the National Constitution

Center in Philadelphia

I'm Beach ano thanks for watching see

you next time

on Constitution Hall Pass

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you

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