Federalism Case

1. The founders of the constitution themselves, specifically Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton carried different meanings of federalism. Hamilton believed in a strong central government. He argued that since the people created the national government and since the most pressing needs were the development of a national economy and the handling of foreign affairs, the national government was therefore superior. In opposition to Hamilton was Jefferson, who argued that the federal government was merely the result of an agreement among the states. He believed that the people were ultimately most powerful and that the threats to their liberties would come from the national government. Therefore Jefferson argued that national powers should be limited and the state governments should be sovereign.

2. Dual federalism often referred to, as "layer cake federalism" is a doctrine lasting through the 1930's, holding that the national government is supreme in its sphere, the states are supreme in theirs and there should be no interaction between the two. The concept of dual federalism was applied to commerce. Interstate commerce was to be regulated by Congress while intrastate commerce was regulated by the states. This concept of separate spheres became difficult to maintain. For example, when transporting an item from one state to another how long is it in interstate commerce before it becomes subject to state law? The great depression marked the end of dual federalism and the shift to a strong national government.

3. Beginning in the 1960's American politics shifted toward favoring Washington's needs rather than local needs. In the 80's however, President Regan worked to reverse this pattern. He pushed congress to combine 83 categorical grants into 6 block grants. He believed that the states should have more power and that the states were more conservative than the federal government.

Federalism describes a system of government under which the national government and local government share distinct powers. Under federalism some powers belong exclusively to the national government, some exclusively to the state and some are shared. This system of government is positive, and has existed for so long for many reasons. Crucial to it's existence is federalisms ability to keep the nation united and under control. The central government stays concerned with matters which effect the nation as a whole such as foreign policy while the states take responsibility for local concerns such as housing and education. Federalism also allows for the open opportunity for political participation. As well, it permits laws and policies on public matters to vary from state to state. This freedom from state to state can be seen as both positive and negative. Another