4.6 Federalism

Federalism

Unit 4-6

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Lesson Overview

• Students Will Be Able To:

• Compare federal and state legislatures.

• Identify how the Constitution determines the powers of the federal and state governments.

• Evaluate whether it is necessary to have
state governments in addition to the federal government.

•Vocabulary:

• Commerce Clause
• Full Faith and Credit Clause
• Impeachment
• Pennsylvania General Assembly
• Privileges and Immunities Clause
• Supremacy Clause

Interesting Connection- The rung of the ladder for State Laws is why some of you might get Ladder Certificates as a Senior as you"climb" to Graduation!

First..... Let's review a few things we've covered so far!

Multiple Choice

Which power does the House of Representatives have that the Senate does not have?

• 
  the power to declare war

• 
  the power to enact taxes

• 
  the power to confirm Supreme Court justice nominees

Multiple Choice

Why would members of a state legislature gerrymander?

• 
  to shift power from the federal government to the states

• to bring federally funded programs to their state

• 
  to increase their political party’s influence in Congress

Essential Question- How are powers allocated between the federal government and state governments?

Consider.........Why do you
think there are different
powers for
both the National and
State Governments?

Early Federalism in
the United States

• During the Articles of
Confederation, it was an
unbalanced system of power
with more power to the states and less to a central
government.
• This led to the debates
between Federalists and Anti-Federalists

• Federalists- Strong Central Government, Weaker State Government
• Anti-Federalist- Weaker Central
Government, Stronger State Government

Multiple Choice

Which of the following questions relates to the concept of federalism?

• How many states should be required to ratify the Constitution?

• Should we amend the Articles of Confederation?

• How much power should we give the central government?

State Governments

• Each state has its own legislature that does for the state what Congress does for the Nation
• Pennsylvania's State Legislature is called the-
Pennsylvania General Assembly

​

• States mirror (mimic) the national government set-up with three branches
• State Legislatures makes laws that apply to the individual state
*Set budget and taxes for the state
• They can also start articles of Impeachment-formal charges of misconduct against a public official
• Most states have a bicameral legislature as well
• Remember these State Governments are responsible for their states only!

Multiple Select

How are state governments similar to the federal government?

• 
  The legislature makes decisions about taxes and the budget.

• Checks and balances prevent one person or group from becoming too powerful.

• 
  The people elect leaders.

• The government has three branches.

The Supremacy Clause and Others...

• Article VI, Section 2 of the Constitution declares that the
Constitution is the "Supreme Law of the Land."
• No state laws can contradict the Constitution
• Hint- Think of the Constitution like the blueprint of the country
• This is known as:
the Supremacy Clause
- state governments
must obey the
Constitution

• Other Important Clauses (parts) of the Constitution are-

• Privileges and Immunities Clause- protects the rights of people of all states and prevents discrimination against out-of-state residents

• Full Faith and Credit Clause- each state must recognize the
authority of each state

• Commerce Clause (Craig will explain this clause)- allows the federal government to regulate
commerce and other activities between states

Open Ended

Can you think of any examples of the Supremacy Clause, Privileges and Immunities Clause, Full Faith and Credit Clause or Commerce Clause and how they translate to real life situations?

The Ninth and Tenth Amendments...IX and X

• So, breaking this down, just because it is not written down here does not mean the right does not exist.
• Example- it does not say people have the right to travel but they do.

• So, if a power is not specified as a Federal Government Power, it goes to the State Governments.
• Example- The Federal Government does not regulate (run) public schools, that is a State power.

State Constitutions...Are modeled on the US Constitution

• All 50 States have their own Constitutions that do for
them what the US Constitution does for America
• Establish laws for the State
• Establish governmental structure (how the Government looks)
for each state
• PA Example-
• We have 50 Senatorial Districts and 203 Representative Districts
• Our legislature is called the Pennsylvania General Assembly

• Remember the Supremacy Clause makes the US
Constitution the law of the land, some State
constitutions also include rights protected in the US Constitution

Pennsylvania's Original Constitution from 1776

Multiple Select

Which of the following can a state constitution do?

• 
  establish processes for state elections

• protect a person’s right to privacy, which the U.S. Constitution does not specify

• 
  list conditions that cause someone to lose their freedom of religion

• 
  change the number of senators the state sends to the U.S. Congress

  
  

Multiple Choice

How does the United States' federalist structure represent compromise between our country's founders?

• 
  It establishes a balance of power that gives all power to the federal government and removes the states' power

• 
  The balance of power it established between the federal and state government represents compromise between the Federalist and Anti-Federalist factions.

• The system retains the federal government's powers from the Articles of Confederation and gives more powers to the state governments

Essential Question- How are powers allocated between the federal government and state governments?

• The United States uses federalism, a system of sharing power
between national and state governments.

• In addition to having representation in the U.S. Congress, states also
have their own legislatures.

• The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the United States and
gives rules for how states interact with each other.

• If the federal government does not explicitly have a power, that
power goes to the state or to the people.

• States each have their own constitution to set up state governments according to their needs.