GVPT 170 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Supremacy Clause, Commerce Clause, Tenth Amendment To The United States Constitution
18 Mar 2016
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Document Summary
Definition: division of sovereign power between at least 2 different levels of government. 1: power to raise money by taxation, authority to pass laws governing the citizens. Historical role of federalism is promoting expansion of the us by integrating different political cultures of the states. Questions about whether to have a unitary government (national government holds ultimate authority) or some degree of federalism. Out of 195 nations, 25 are federations, 40% of world"s population. Dual federalism (or layer cake federalism) 1789-1937. Key feature: national & state governments are distinct and provide separate services. Implications: limits on power of national government. Includes an early focus on establishing nation supremacy (1789-early 1800s), which faced counter-forces of states" rights, nullification. Key feature: national & state governments work together to provide services. Different forms: picket fence federalism, coercive federalism, fiscal federalism. Constitutional debate and compromise over the balance between national and state governments.
