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PPTsBythePeopleChapter04.pptxFederalism and Nationalism
Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
In this chapter you will:
Learn what federalism is.
Explore the strengths of federal and state governments.
Examine how federalism works—and how it has evolved.
Review the contemporary conflicts that surround federalism.
Explore American nationalism, the force that binds and shapes our federalist polity.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Types of Government
Unitary government
The national government—the king and Parliament in England, for example—made policy for the nation. Local governments simply carried out their decrees. To this day, almost all nations are organized this way.
Confederation
All power flows from the local to the national level. Examples are Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.
Federalism
Power is divided and shared between national and state governments. Examples are the United States and India.
Some states grant local governments broad powers, known as home rule.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Federalism in the United States
Power divided and shared between national and state governments
Constitution reserves some decisions for the national government and some for the state
National: Declare war or coining money
State: Schools
Some decisions are made at both levels
Taxing and spending
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Advantages of State-Level Policy
States are more responsive to citizens
States offer more protection for individual rights
Political innovation can occur when different states can experiment with different programs
People have more choices
People who do not like a particular state can move
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Advantages of National Policy
Policies often more fair
Policies can equalize resources across the nation
Policies can standardize best practices across the nation
National government can more easily coordinate among agencies
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
The Constitution Sets the Ground Rules
Granted powers—Article 1, section 8, lists 19 powers of the federal government: Congress has the power to pay debts, raise an army, punish pirates, establish a post office, handle US foreign policy.
express or enumerated powers
The Constitution authorizes Congress to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying out the enumerated powers—or any other power the Constitution vests in the national government. This necessary and proper clause is also known as the elastic clause.
The elastic clause has expanded national authority to include what are called inherent powers—powers that are implied by, but not specifically named in, the Constitution’s text.
The supremacy clause declares that the national government’s laws and treaties are the “supreme law of the land” and are superior to state laws whenever the two clash.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Reserved Powers
States retain government authority not explicitly granted to the national government
Education
Public health
In-state commerce
State elections
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Concurrent Powers
Many powers and duties are shared jointly by state and national governments.
Both national and state governments have the power to raise taxes, build roads, construct bridges, build railways, update telecommunications networks, borrow money, and regulate business.
The Constitution directs each state to give full faith and credit to the actions of other states.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Full Faith and Credit
Each state is required by the Constitution to recognize and uphold laws passed by other states.
Can be difficult when laws of neighboring states vary considerably
Example: gun laws—okay to openly carry in one state but in bordering state guns heavily restricted. Which law is supreme?
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Dual Federalism
Dual federalism gave state and national governments relatively clearly demarcated responsibilities.
American historians with an eye for metaphor describe this arrangement as “layer cake.”
This left the national government in charge of three major areas:
international relations
internal improvements
relations and commerce between the states
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Cooperative Federalism
Cooperative federalism: The period after the Great Depression was characterized by blurred lines of authority and a much more active national government.
A new bakery metaphor emerged: a marble cake with its various ingredients—the different government functions—all swirled together.
Officials in Washington provided federal funds through grants-in-aid—national funds accompanied by specific instructions to state and local officials about how the money could be spent.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
New Federalism
Ronald Reagan’s presidency (1981–1989) ushered in another significant change in American federalism, enthusiastically termed New Federalism.
The Reagan administration relied more heavily on block grants. Block grants still channel federal dollars to a specific policy area.
Federal, state, and local authorities all compete for influence over programs—a multiflavored marble cake.
One pillar of the New Federalism movement was devolution, or transferring responsibility for government programs to state and local authorities.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Federalism Today
One pillar of the New Federalism movement is devolution.
States’ rights advocates sometimes find that devolving policies to the local level does not guarantee a less active government response.
When responsibility is passed to state or local officials, there must be national resources to match, or else Washington will saddle the state or locality with an
unfunded mandate: a law or regulation that imposes a duty that must be paid for primarily by state or local officials.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Federalism and the Parties
Dual, cooperative, and new: these successive descriptions of federalism point to ongoing negotiations about government power and accountability.
Republicans continue to urge state and local control on most issues, while Democrats are more likely to seek Washington-based solutions.
The political art of credit claiming also influences federalism.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Federalism in the Courts
In a series of landmark decisions, the Supreme Court—led by Chief Justice John Marshall—protected national government powers from state incursions.
The first such case was McCulloch v. Maryland, decided in 1819.
In recent years—beginning under Chief Justice Rehnquist in the mid-1990s, and gaining strength with a consistently conservative majority under Chief Justice Roberts since 2005— the Supreme Court has emphasized local and state power.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Nationalism, American Style
Constitution
Elastic Clause
Tenth Amendment
Institution evolution
Federalism
Cooperative Federalism
Layer Cake vs. Marble Cake
National vs. State
Seek equity
“Drown in the bathtub”
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Nationalism
Kept federal experiment together despite
Civil War
Economic strains in every era
Partisan conflict
Different cultures and attitudes
New England towns
Southern Bible Belt
Midwestern Plains
Liberal “Left Coast”
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
National Identity
Maintain federal balance
Instill loyalty to nation, state, and locality
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Nationalism
“Nationalism is membership in an ‘imagined community,’ a sense of connectedness across millions of people who will, for the most part, never see or meet one another.
“A nation exists because people believe that it does.”
Benedict Anderson
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
Conclusion: Who Are We?
Federalism reflects an intense philosophical debate, carved into institutional stone.
The debate—about power and democracy, fairness and liberty—runs through American history.
Successive eras allocated power differently.
Federalism is the mark of a weak national government. However, the paradox of American politics is that weak government is balanced by a powerful nation with a robust, patriotic sense of national identity.
CHAPTER 4: FEDERALISM AND NATIONALISM
