Inquisitive Chapter 3

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.

True

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.

True

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

True

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

Federal preemption is a form of coercive federalism.

True

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

11

federal

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

unitary

A single national government makes all laws.

confederal

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 1930s and 1940s, multiple levels of government were required to step in

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

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

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.

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

Court has limited Congress's ability to use the commerce clause to address national issues

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

Dual federalism limited the power of the national government

Police powers rest with the federal government.

False

Study the following infographic and determine which of the following statements about picket fence federalism are accurate.

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

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 national power

Which of the following is the best definition of dual federalism?

National and State governments are distinct entities providing separate services

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

Supported dual federalism limited Congress's ability to regulate commerce declared major civil rights legislation to be unconstitutional

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

Supreme Court ruled Congress had power to establish national bank Supreme Court supported Congress's ability to regulate interstate commerce

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.

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 the issues the Constitution says are federal powers

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.

True

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.

True

Shared Powers

collecting taxes borrowing money

Powers delegated to the national government

declaring war signing an international treaty

Powers reserved to the states

licensing a lawyer

nationally centered

necessary and proper clause supremacy clause

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 federalism

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

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

state centered

tenth and eleventh amendment

Which part of the Constitution ensures that an adoption of a child that occurs in Florida is still valid in Tennessee?

the full faith and credit clause