Am. Nat. Gov: Inquizitive (Ch. 3)

How can Congress maintain the power of the national government even when the Supreme Court strikes down federal laws?

- Congress can use financial coercion to impose national policies on states. - Congress can clarify its intent to overturn some court cases

On average, state governments tend to be more responsive to the particular needs of their citizens. Citizen access to state governments is often greater than is citizen access to the national government.

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The federal government is solely responsible for handling national defense and foreign policy. Local governments are created by state governments.

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From the very beginning of the Preamble to the Constitution, the Founders laid out a vision of a stronger national government.

True

In a unitary system, all laws and decisions are made by the national government. In a federal system, powers are divided between the state and national governments.

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Picket Fence Federalism

- It shows more interaction between levels than the layer cake model. - It stresses that cooperation between government levels takes place within each separate policy area

According to advocates of a larger role for state governments, what benefits to the country can stronger state governments offer?

- Powerful state governments are a check on national tyranny. - States can develop innovative solutions to problems.

How does the Constitution promote the idea that the states are part of a larger nation and not independent entities?

- The Constitution prohibits states from passing laws that favor their citizens over citizens of other states. - The Constitution requires states to honor the public acts and judicial proceedings of each other.

How did the federal government's power expand in the early 1800s?

- The Supreme Court supported Congress's ability to regulate interstate commerce. - The Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the power to establish a national bank.

After the Civil War, Congress amended the Constitution to guarantee equal protection under the law for all citizens under the Fourteenth Amendment. Congress would also use this amendment to pass additional civil rights laws. However, in the decades following the Civil War, the Supreme Court limited federal power and reinforced the notion of dual federalism.

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Which steps has the federal government taken to reduce the burden of unfunded mandates?

- Unfunded mandates that cost more than $50 million require a separate vote. - The Congressional Budget Office is required to estimate how much unfunded mandates will cost states.

How did the Supreme Court limit the power of the national government after the Civil War?

- limited Congress's ability to regulate commerce - declared major civil rights legislation to be unconstitutional - supported the notion of dual federalism

Competitive federalism can create a "race to the bottom" as states attempt to lure businesses by keeping taxes and social spending low. This is generally thought of as a(n) disadvantage of federalism

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The argument in favor of "states' rights"—that states retain some powers under the Constitution—is most often associated with which amendment?

10

The idea of states having sovereign immunity is directly related to which amendment?

11

Federal Government

A country has a government with political subunits, with each subunit having a degree of autonomy and authority.

dual federalism

A limited national government helps build roads and promote infrastructure, but otherwise most responsibilities are left to the states

Which of the following describes how a more powerful national government can benefit citizens?

A powerful national government can better protect the civil rights of its citizens

Unitary Government

A single national government makes all laws

Confederal Government

A state has the power to veto a law made by the central government

Which of the following is a factor that shifted national and state governments towards cooperative federalism?

As the nation began to face more complex problems in the 30s and 40s, multiple levels of gov. are required to stop in

Contrast the differences between block grants and categorical grants by labeling their characteristics with the correct term.

Block Grants: - offer more flexibility - federal funds to states for a general policy purpose - offer more power to states Categorical Grants: - federal funds to states for a specific purpose - offer more power to the federal government

How federalism has worked in U.S. history has changed over time. Label each description with the type of federalism, dual or cooperative, that best describes it.

Cooperative: - more closely describes modern federalism - helps the government deal with more complex issue Dual: - the earliest type of federalism in the United States - less powerful national government

Police powers rest with the federal government

False

The idea that people can "vote with their feet" is usually used to argue for more national power relative to the states.

False

In Supreme Court cases since the 1980s that bear on issues of federalism, how have the Court's decisions influenced the power of the states relative to the national government?

Many rulings have increased state powers

Mary works at the federal Department of the Interior on issues dealing with national parks. She often works with people in the state-level departments of parks and recreation and departments of natural resources, but she rarely interacts with other federal bureaucrats outside the Department of the Interior. This is an example of what kind of federalism?

Picket Fence

If the U.S. Congress passes a law aimed to stop state governments from discriminating against employees based on age, this is known as what kind of legislation?

Remedial

The United States decides to change its policies on the death penalty. Even if other nations do not approve of this, the United States has the right to do so, free from foreign interference. This is an example of the United States having what kind of power?

Sovereign

Federal preemption is a form of coercive federalism

True

Which of the following powers does the Constitution grant the federal government?

The federal government can create any law it needs to carry out its expressed powers. The federal government can regulate commerce.

Which of the following powers does the federal government have that state governments do not?

The federal government can declare war. The federal government is responsible for international relations.

cooperative federalism

The federal government provides grants to the states to encourage them to use more evidence-based practices in their education curricula

coercive federalism

The federal government sets a new environmental standard for emissions, and states are required to follow it

Which of the following are examples of states properly exercising their powers in the U.S. federal system?

The state of California requires teachers to obtain specific credentials before they teach in public schools.

According to Article VI of the Constitution, when state laws and federal laws are in conflict, the federal law takes precedence over the state law.

True

Despite some early cases to the contrary, power predominantly remained with the states until the 1930s, at which point the federal government expanded into many new areas.

True

dual federalism

an older form of federalism in which the state and national governments provide separate services

Traditionally, liberals have favored which of the following?

more power for the federal government

How did the concept of dual federalism affect the balance of power between state governments and the national government?

duel federalism limited the power of the national government

Did the following Supreme Court cases grant power to the states or to the federal government? Match the case to the outcome

gave power to the states - United States v. Lopez gave power to the federal government - McCulloch v. Maryland - Gibbons v. Ogden

The arrangement of powers in a federalist system is dynamic and can lead to conflict between levels of government. What aspect of federalism is most commonly disputed in the United States?

how power is divided

How can competitive federalism affect low-income people?

may suffer in states that lower taxes and decrease spending on social programs

Identify which of the following parts of the Constitution support a nationally-centered perspective on government and which parts support a state-centered perspective

nationally centered: - supremacy clause - necessary and proper clause state centered: - 10th Amendment - 11th Amendment

How is power distributed in the U.S. federal system?

powers are divided between the national and state governments

One of the amendments to the Constitution states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." This is an argument for which of the following?

stronger state powers

Since the start of the 1970s, how has the Supreme Court ruled regarding the commerce clause of the Constitution?

the court has limited congress' ability to use the commerce clause to address national problems

competitive federalism

the practice of states adopting different policies to attract business

If the supremacy clause of the Constitution specifies that federal laws are "the supreme Law of the Land," why are there still so many ongoing debates about what the federal government can and cannot require state governments to do?

the supremacy clause only applies to issues the constitution says are federal powers

fiscal federalism

the use of federal funds to encourage states to comply with national policies

coercive federalism

the use of preemptions and unfunded mandates to compel states to follow federal policies