Federalism

1A I can recall the three branches of government, checks and balances and federalism as they relate to government laws and powers.

Ch.6, pages 61-62 and page 69

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Resources: Click here for teacher materials

Preview

Copy the venn diagram below in your notebook. List at least three decisions in each section and then answer the questions.

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Decisions Parents Decisions you Decisions you make

make for you make together make for yourself

Preview

1. What type of decisions do your parents or guardians make for you? What types of decisions do you make for yourself? What type of decisions do you make together?

2. Why are some decisions shared while others are not?

3. What are the benefits of making decisions this way? What are the drawbacks?

4. How do you think this system of making decisions is similar to the way power flows between national and state governments?

Federalism Article

Some key points

• Federalism contributes to economic and political differences among the states because it permits each state freedom.
• The Constitution grants delegated powers to the national government.
• The framers of the Constitution created three separate branches of government to keep any one group from gaining too much power

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• The defining characteristic of a federal system of government is that Power is divided between the central government and the various state governments

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True and False

1. States had no government at all when America was born.

2. America’s central government is known as the federal government.

3. Federalism is the division of power between states.

4. The Constitution divides federal power among three branches of government.

5. Powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people.

6. Powers that states and the federal government share are called concurrent powers.

7. The Supremacy clause says state laws are superior to federal laws.

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True and False

8. Implied powers are stated in the constitution and expressed powers are not.

9. The Constitution lets Congress do what is “necessary and proper” for carrying out its powers.

10.Congress can’t pass laws that have anything to do with powers it doesn’t have, even if there is a link to a power it does have.

11.People today still debate about how much power states and the federal government should have.

12.The Founders had to create a federal government system because there weren’t any other systems to choose from.

13.An association of independent states is called a unitary form of government.

14.A unitary form of government does not divide power between a central government and lower governments.

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Activity

Draw the venn diagram in your notebook.

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Expressed Reserved

Concurrent

Expressed and Implied Powers

• Print money
• Make rules about trade between states and nations
• Declare war
• Make treaties and deal with foreign countries
• Establish a post office
• Provide an army and a navy
• Make laws that are necessary and proper to carry out its powers
• Spend money for the general welfare
• Make copyright laws to protect authors’ writings
• Decide what units of measure we will use

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Reserved Powers

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• Issue driver’s and marriage licenses
• Conduct elections
• Establish local governments
• Make rules about business inside a state
• Use any power the Constitution doesn’t give the federal government or deny to the states
• Charter banks and corporations
• Run public schools
• Provide police and emergency services

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Concurrent Powers

• Protect public health and safety
• Collect taxes
• Build roads
• Borrow money
• Establish courts
• Make and enforce laws

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Expressed, Concurrent or Reserved?

1. Conduct elections

2. Make rules about business inside a state

3. Establish local governments

4.Protect public health and safety

5. Collect taxes

6.Build Roads

7. Borrow money

8. Use any power the Constitution doesn’t give the federal government or deny to the states

9. establish courts

10. make and enforce laws

11. spend money for the general welfare

12. charter banks and corporations

13. make copyright laws to protect authors’ writings

14. run public schools

15. decide what units of measure we will use

16. provide police and emergency services

17. establish a post office

18. issue drivers and marriage licenses

19. provide an army and a navy

20. Make laws that are necessary and proper to carry out its powers

21. print money

22. declare war

23. make rules about trade between states and nations

24. make treaties and deal with foreign countries

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