Running Head: American Republicanism and Federalism
Research Paper: The Philosophy of American Republicanism and Federalism Assignment
Helms School of Government, Liberty University
GOVT:327: State and Local Government (B01)
Professor Peidmont
September 8th, 2022
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The Philosophy of American Republicanism and Federalism
This essay assesses the structure and distribution of power in the American federal system.
The power of the federal system is studied and defined, including where it derives from and how
it is divided between the central government and the states. Additionally, the framers' reasoning
for dissolving the power and its necessity is addressed. Finally, considering all information
presented, and argument is developed for the proper role of government, followed by an
example.
Federal Government Structure
The legislative, executive, and judicial branches make up the three-branch federal
government. Each of these branches fulfills a valuable function, and when combined, the three of
them provide the federal government with effective checks and balances. We are more familiar
with the House of Representatives and the Senate, collectively known as the United States
Congress, as the legislative branch. The Supreme Court and the federal courts are best known as
members of the judicial branch. Each branch has responsibilities to fulfill in order to maintain the
effectiveness of our federal government. In addition to drafting laws and having the power to
declare war, the legislative branch also approves or rejects government job nominees. The laws
passed by the legislative branch are carried out and enforced by the executive branch. The
judicial branch determines whether laws are constitutional violations and analyzes the intent of
the law. The president, vice president, president’s cabinet, executive departments, independent
agencies and boards, commissions, and committees make up the executive branch. Although the
three branches are very different from one another, they all need the other two to function well.
Origin of Power
According to the dual federalism model, the federal and state governments are sovereign and
equal within their respective realms of constitutionally defined authority (Bowman & Kearney,
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The Philosophy of American Republicanism and Federalism
2018). The national government only uses the powers that have been officially granted to it; the
states are only allowed to use the remaining powers. The nation and the states are seen as
essentially competing with one another rather than cooperating. In our federal system, power is
in the states and derives from the people of the united states. Unlike a monarchy, Americas
federal system was built in favor of the people running the government with justice. The
Declaration of independence states, “that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted
among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” (2022).
There are reserved powers under the tenth amendment. If the constitution neither grants the
federal government the authority nor forbids the states from exercising the authority, it is
reserved for the states. It continues to be a government of limited and specified powers, so when
a federal power is used, the first consideration is not whether it infringes someone's rights but
rather whether it goes beyond the bounds of the national government.
Framers Dissolvement
With the tenth amendment, the framers dismantled the power in order to prevent the federal
government from gaining total control. When it comes to state or federal power, the Supremacy
clause determines who has the real power. The Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution's
Article VI, Paragraph 2, is known as that declares that federal law, including the constitution,
supersedes state legislation and even state constitutions (Jurkowski, 2017). States are forbidden
from interfering with how the federal government exercises its constitutional authority or from
taking on any duties that belong solely to the federal government. However, it does not give the
federal government the ability to examine or veto state legislation prior to their implementation.
Due to the fact that supreme court justices hold appointed positions, the decisions of the court do
alter over time, depending on the presidency's appointment of new justices as well as the
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The Philosophy of American Republicanism and Federalism
individual justice's personal views on breaking the law. I do believe that the power was needed to
be dissolved by the framers. With three distinct branches of the federal government, states were
able to have local levels of government and the freedom to enact laws that upheld the
constitution. If such laws were ever needed, the supreme court would decide whether they should
be enacted at the federal rather than the state level.
Proper Role of Government
The American government is functioning properly right now, and each level's responsibilities
are set in accordance with that level. Research reveals what some believe to be the federal
government's efficiency in functions and Americans' approval and opinions on the federal
government's effectiveness. The majority of Americans (94%) believe the federal government
should play a large role in protecting the nation against terrorism, while only 5% believe it
should have a minimal role. Majorities that are over 90% also agree that the federal government
should be involved in other areas, such as regulating the immigration system (96%), reacting to
environmental disasters (98%), safeguarding the environment (96%), and boosting the economy
(95%). Seven out of ten people or more believe that the federal government should have a
large involvement in each of these sectors, while much less believe that is it the federal
responsibility to have a small role in these differing arenas.
Although the federal government is operating adequately, justice, injustice, modern-day
racial and economic inequalities, and debt are significant issues in today's cultural and political
climate, where the federal government should regulate better. The proper role of government is
to ensure safety and establish justice under God. A great example would be creating more
opportunities for lower-income families and creating a governmental system where all people are
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The Philosophy of American Republicanism and Federalism
represented, instead of the traditionally white wealthy male leadership in the Americas
governmental system.
In order to provide more educated and just law enforcement, another example would be the
reform of the police. This would prevent current injustices and racism in law enforcement, create
a safer society, and reassure the current doubts about safety that the government is responsible
for enforcing.
Include biblical worldview!!! 30 points
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The Philosophy of American Republicanism and Federalism
References
Bowman, A. O. M., & Kearney, R. C. (2018). State & Local Government. Retrieved from
https://ebooks.cenreader.com/#!/reader/58ee96e0-c357-4d8f-8d15-
d22ad7449391/page/758a39896cdf87baf7a6aadddffd418f.
National Archives and Records Administration. (2022, June 8). Declaration of independence: A
transcription. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved from
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Jurkowski, S. (2017, June). Supremacy clause. Legal Information Institute. Retrieved from
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/supremacy_clause#:~:text=Article%20VI%2C
%20Paragraph%202%20of,laws%2C%20and%20even%20state%20constitutions.
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