Introduction to State and Local Government
In this post we were to have a free-flowing discussion on the state of nature design of the
U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, to discuss the state of nature principles from the U.S.
Constitution encapsulated the representation and command of state and local government. There
will also be discussion about the principles of federalism and how it was important to the framers
of the constitution and the sovereignty of the individual states. We will also be supplying
thoughts on the state of perfect freedom and equality. Lastly what is the difference between the
state of liberty and the state of license, and address the preservation part of everyone, arbitrary
power and executive power, how these concepts impacted the U.S. Constitution and if these
concepts still impact citizens today.
The state of nature principles of popular sovereignty can be categorized in the following:
limited government, separation of power, checks and balances, individual rights, and federalism
can encapsulate the representation and command of state and local government. Limited
government was important to the founding fathers because they did not want to happen to them
again what had happened in Europe. That is why they left. Our government is limited by the laws
in the Constitution. The separation of powers creates a government that is broken up in three
branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch makes the laws, the
executive branch conducts the law, and the judicial branch interprets the law. Checks and
balances is related and works similarly to the separation of powers. The president looks over the
power of the legislative branch by vetoing bills, the legislation then checks his power of passing
bills with a three-fourths majority vote, and while the judicial branch checks the power of the
legislative branch by declaring a law unconstitutional. Individual rights are principles from the
Constitution which is dealt with in the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights consist of the first ten
amendments in the Constitution. A good part of these amendments deals with freedom of speech,
the right to bear arms, and no cruel and unusual punishment. Federalism splits the power
between a national or federal government and the local governments. A strong central
government is key and having federalism creates a strong state government which is necessary to
manage regional problems.
Federalism is a government system which is divided by governing powers and authority
between the national governments and the state governments. Federalism supported the
sovereignty of each state. This gave each state the sovereignty to govern itself. Each state was
able to have its own laws and develop how they wanted if it did not conflict with the national
government. The 10th amendment defines what federalism is. “This brief statement says “The
powers not delegated to the United Sates by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,
are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Which means, the powers that are not
granted to the National government are given to the states or the people. It states the idea that
local and national governments should share the power of governing which is exactly what
federalism is.” (Why Framers Chose Federalism?, 2017). Without this amendment, federalism
would not simply exist. The two types of governments would not be very unified if it were not
for concurrent powers. Federalism allows everyone that lives in different states, which have
different needs and interests, to set laws specific to their state but yet live together as one nation.
The difference between the state of liberty and state of license is simple. Liberty is the
summation of rights that allows a person to exercise their choices and in retrospect, license is the
lack of restraint. Overall, liberty gives the components for people to exercise rights to do things
that makes them human. License is what allows people to do what they want to do when they
want to do it.
Everything that was discussed here helped the Framers construct the Constitution and
what it was going to stand for. The United States was first populated by those leaving Europe
because they wanted to escape the ridiculous taxes and erratic government. The Framers made it
a point to make sovereignty was given to the people so that they would have a say in how the
country was run and dictated. These concepts are a little in the gray area. The people still have
sovereignty, but the government makes decisions within their interpretation of the Constitution
behind closed doors and put it upon the Americans. A current example is how we are trying to
combat Covid. The government is making it mandatory for us to get vaccinated. Otherwise, some
people could lose their jobs or not be allowed to enter certain establishments. This is all not over
yet so there are more situations that may impact the people and the U.S. Constitution.
References
Why Framers Chose Federalism?. (2017, Jan 07). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/why-
framers-chose-federalism-essay
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