FEDERALISM: The Relationship Between STATES and FEDERAL Government [AP Gov Review, Unit 1 Topic 7]

Summary

In 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

00:00

🏛️ 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.

05:01

💼 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.

Keywords

💡Federalism

Federalism refers to the division of power between a central authority and constituent political units, such as states or provinces. In the context of the video, federalism is the sharing of power between the national government and state governments. It is a core concept in the AP Government curriculum, emphasizing the balance and interplay between these two levels of government, as illustrated by the discussion on how societal needs affect the constitutional allocation of power.

💡Exclusive Powers

Exclusive powers are those that are constitutionally delegated solely to the federal government. The video uses the example of the power to declare war, which lies exclusively with the federal government, highlighting the division of responsibilities where certain functions are reserved for the national level to ensure consistency and authority across the nation.

💡Reserved Powers

Reserved powers are those that are retained by the states under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. These powers are not explicitly given to the federal government and are not prohibited to the states, thus allowing states to govern in areas such as education, policing, and health. The video explains how these powers enable states to address local issues according to their unique needs and circumstances.

💡Concurrent Powers

Concurrent powers are shared between the federal and state governments, allowing both to legislate on the same issue. The video uses taxation as an example, where both federal and state governments can levy taxes, demonstrating how concurrent powers can lead to a complex interplay of authority and responsibility in certain policy areas.

💡Fiscal Federalism

Fiscal federalism refers to the use of financial mechanisms to influence the behavior of state governments, typically through grants and funding. The video explains how the federal government can establish national standards and then provide funding to states that comply with these standards, illustrating the dynamic nature of federalism and how financial incentives can shape policy implementation.

💡Categorical Grants

Categorical grants are a form of fiscal federalism where the federal government provides funds to states with specific requirements on how the money is to be spent. The video discusses how these grants can be used to align state policies with federal objectives, such as in the case of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which required states to comply with federal education standards to receive funding.

💡Block Grants

Block grants offer states more flexibility than categorical grants, providing funds for a broad category of spending with fewer federal restrictions. The video mentions the Community Development Block Grant as an example, where states have discretion over how to use the funds for community development, reflecting a shift towards giving states more autonomy in how they address local needs.

💡Mandates

Mandates are federal directives that require states to comply with certain standards or regulations. The video explains how mandates can be funded or unfunded, with the latter causing strain on state budgets. An example given is the Clean Air Act, which set national environmental standards that states had to meet, often with financial assistance from the federal government.

💡Unfunded Mandates

Unfunded mandates are federal requirements that states must follow without receiving financial assistance from the federal government. The video cites the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 as an example, where states were required to implement certain educational standards but had to bear the costs themselves, leading to discontent among states due to the financial burden.

💡Devolution

Devolution refers to the process of transferring powers and responsibilities from the central government to regional or local authorities. The video discusses the devolution revolution under President Ronald Reagan, which aimed to return more power to the states, reflecting a broader trend in federalism towards greater state autonomy and flexibility.

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

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