American federalism

American federalism

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Introduction

A system in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government is referred to as federalism. The national government deals with the issues that affect the entire country while the smaller subdivisions deal with the local issues.  Both the political subdivisions and the national government have the right and authority to make laws and a certain level of autonomy in regards to the territorial jurisdiction.  The United States constitution grants the state government the power to deal with the domestic issues while the national government governs the issues concerning the nation as a whole.

Article 1 section 8 of the United States Constitution grants the US Congress the power to declare war, punish piracies, and levy taxes. With this basic information on federalism, this essay enumerates how federalism has evolved from its origin to the American political system in place today. Second, factors that have allowed the concept of federalism to shape American political behavior and lastly factors that illustrate how the relationship between the states and the U.S federal government influences the creation of American policies.

How federalism has evolved from its origin to the American political system

The American revolutionized had a slogan which stated that “A government of laws, not of men”(Gibson, 2004). In the eighteenth century, most of the revolutionist in America believed that those who run the government should be limited by set down rules and regulations in their exercise of power. They said that the government should be governed by law and not by the will of people.   Between 1776 and 1778, a number of state constitutions were put in place which foreshadowed the federal form of governance.  From then, a number of states were put into effect. This enhanced the formation of a federal government.

The fourteenth amendment of the constitution in 1861 – 1868 enhanced the formation of the federal government(Gerston, 2007). Many of the people in the south felt that the state government had the right to make important decisions concerning the state. The northerners had a different idea about this. They said that the national government should make all the decisions. The state had rights that were supposed to be followed and observed. The national government was not supposed to control all the activities of the states. After the debate, they both southerners and northerners agreed that the state’s rights should be obeyed and respected by all. The central government was not supposed to control the activities of the state.

As a result of industrialization and globalization, the national government assumed a larger role. Because of its extensive trading networks it emerged as a global economic power. The American government began to trade abroad heavily. As a result of the great depression, most people lost their jobs thus poverty levels elevated and most of the businesses failed. Franklin.............