chapt 5
Prior to the Civil War ...
the states were responsible for most areas of public policy. an important role for the federal government was in trying to maintain peace between states divided over the issue of slavery.
Which of the following claims about "categorical grants" was made in this section of the textbook? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
A categorical grant is a type of federal grant-in-aid that provides relatively strict and specific guidelines on how the state or local government receiving the money must spend it. When the federal government started relying more heavily on categorical grants, this led to a greater intermingling of federal and state functions and greater cooperation between federal and state levels of government. This form of federalism is known as "cooperative federalism."
In this section, it is argued that, at least since 2000, neither political party has demonstrated a genuine commitment to "principled federalism." How is "principled federalism" defined by the textbook?
A preference for a particular allocation of authority between the national and state governments that one consistently adheres to.
Which of the following are ways that the Reconstruction Amendments changed American federalism? (
By removing the issue of slavery from the national political agenda, the 13th Amendment enabled the emergence of social movements that put pressure on the federal government to address new kinds of issues (e.g., regulating the new industrial economy). Each of the Reconstruction amendments ended with "amendment-enforcing provisions" that provided Congress with new authority to enact "appropriate" laws to enforce the rights guaranteed by the amendments.
According to this section of the textbook, which of the following factors have contributed to changes in the federal government's influence over time?
Changes in how the U.S. Supreme Court and others have interpreted the U.S. Constitution. Changes in the power of the purse. Changes in what the people (i.e., citizens, interest groups, and political parties) want the federal government to do. Changes in the number, size, and resources of federal bureaucratic agencies. Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Which of the following claims about "cooperative federalism" was/were made in this section of the textbook? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
Conservative critics of LBJ's Great Society—and, in general, of the increase in the federal government's size and influence—have tended to view so-called "cooperative federalism" as something better described as "coercive federalism." Cooperative federalism, which is also known as "marble cake federalism," is a form of federalism in which federal and state governments cooperate and their roles and functions are intermingled.
Billy thinks the state of Georgia would be better off on its own and thus should leave the union (i.e., secede from the United States). If Billy is like most anti-unionists, which ONE of the following arguments would he be MOST likely to make in favor leaving the union?
Georgia should be able to determine its own policies without needing to accommodate the preferences of other states.
Which of the following statements is/are true about the federal government's "implied powers"?
Implied powers are one of two basic ways the Constitution delegates legal powers to the federal government. ("Enumerated powers" are the other way.) Many (if not most) implied powers are said to emanate from the "Necessary and Proper Clause." Some implied powers emanate from "amendment-enforcing provisions."
In this section of the textbook, which of the following claims was/were made about the significance of the ACA (aka "Obamacare") for the development of federalism? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
Lawsuits challenging the ACA—in particular the Medicaid expansion—led the U.S. Supreme Court to declare a limit to how far Congress can go in using its power of the purse to influence state policy. Lawsuits challenging the ACA—in particular the "individual mandate"—led the U.S. Supreme Court to adopt a new limit on Congress' authority to regulate society under the Commerce Clause. Under the ACA, private health insurers are more heavily regulated and the federal government's share of healthcare spending are greater than ever before.
According to this section of the textbook, what did conservatives dislike about the development of federalism in the 1950s and 1960s? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
Many conservatives, especially in the South, thought the federal government's new commitment to securing civil liberties and civil rights against state government infringement was an illegitimate interference by the federal government into matters properly left to the states. Conservatives thought federalism, in practice, was "coercive" because the federal government relied too often on "unfunded mandates," which are federal regulatory or spending requirements placed on states that states need to pay for with their own funds.
What claims were made in this section of the textbook about President Richard Nixon's efforts to replace categorical grants with block grants? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
One method Nixon used for converting categorical grants to block grants was something called "special revenue sharing." One method Nixon used for converting categorical grants to block grants was something called "general revenue sharing." The point of replacing categorical grants with block grants was to slow the growth of federal spending while giving more freedom to state and local government to decide how funds are spent.
Which of the following is/are potential problems for incumbents? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
Primary election challengers Variations in turnout Personal misconduct like sex scandals Disruptive issues like unpopular wars
Which of the following statements is/are true about constitutional amendments enacted during the Progressive Era?
The Sixteenth Amendment greatly enhanced the federal government's ability to raise revenue and this, in turn, allowed the federal government (over the course of the 20th century) to increasingly use its power of the purse to influence state government policy. The Seventeenth Amendment mandated popular election of U.S. Senators and, thus, ended the older procedure by which each state's legislature appointed its Senators to Congress. This, in turn, gave state governments less control over the federal government than they had before.
Which of the following claims about the U.S. Supreme Court's impact on federalism during the 1980s and 1990s was/were made in this section of the textbook? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
The Supreme Court declared it constitutional for the federal government to use its power of the purse to lead states to enact a minimum drinking age of 21-years-old. Although the conservative-leaning Supreme Court during this period established a few constitutional limits on the federal government's authority, it still left the key ingredients of the liberal New Deal federalism revolution intact. The Supreme Court held that the Commerce Clause only allows Congress to regulate economic activities—it does not allow Congress to regulate activities that are non-economic in nature (e.g., carrying guns near schools or committing acts of violence against women).
Which of the following are constitutional principles of American federalism derived directly from the constitutional text?
The authority of the federal government is limited to only those legal powers that are delegated to it by the U.S. Constitution. Each state must honor the state laws and court orders of other states even if those other states have different laws or standards. The U.S. Constitution and all valid federal laws are the supreme law of the land. States are not allowed (among other things) to engage in war, coin money, or legalize slavery.
Which of the following is/are common arguments made by proponents of greater national government authority (and less state government authority)?
The national government can provide (better than states can) beneficial uniform rules and standards across the entire country. The national government is more likely than states to respect and protect minority rights. The national government is more likely than state governments to identify and provide nationwide public goods.
Which of the following statements accurately describes a difference between Congress and most other national legislatures around the world?
The two chambers of Congress (the House of Representatives and Senate) are equal in their legislative powers, whereas most other bicameral legislatures around the world have a dominant chamber with most of the power.
Which of the following factors influences the political situation facing presidents when they seek to pursue their legislative agendas? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
What term the president is in, if he faces his own congress members or opposing members ,credibly claim an electoral mandate.
Which of the following is/are common arguments made by proponents of greater state government authority (and less national government authority)?
When policies and laws are set at the state or local level, citizens are better enabled to develop the skills, habits, and dispositions necessary for responsible participation in democratic self-government. When states maintain a certain amount of autonomy and independence, they are better able to check the power of the central government and thereby preserve liberty.
Which of the following claims about Bill Clintons' impact on federalism during his presidency was/were made in this section of the textbook? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
Working with Republicans in Congress, Clinton helped transform the federal "welfare" program into a block grant program.
Which of the following is/are required in order for legislation to pass through Congress? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
accepted by the full committee majority from the House and Senate support The legislation accepted by both chambers must be identical
Which of the following claims was/were made in this section about the likely future direction of federalism in the United States? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
fed gov likely to continue growing in its size and influence. aging population and rising cost of healthcare contribute to growth in federal government spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
The War Powers Resolution ... (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
has been mostly ineffective at reducing the ability for presidents to use military force without formal Congressional approval. was enacted in the 1970s
Judicial review ...
is the authority of courts to decide whether an act of government is constitutional or unconstitutional. by the U.S. Supreme Court has helped to determine constitutional rules pertaining to federalism when the text of the Constitution is either vague or silent on questions about the scope and limits of federal and state government legal authority.
The "police power
is understood, due to Supreme Court decisions like Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), to be reserved to the state governments. is the authority of government to make laws and regulations in order to promote the health, safety, welfare, and morals of the people.
Which of the following claims is made about the Chief of Staff in this section of the textbook? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
most important among white house members, controls the president's calendar, limits access to the president, manages the staff, and helps the president in all aspects of domestic and foreign policy.
Which of the following claims about the impact of Ronald Reagan's presidency on American federalism was/were made in this section of the textbook? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
reduced fed gov spending on grants-in-aid to states by converting categorical grants to block grants and ending Nixon's general revenue sharing program. Due largely to an increase in military spending during Reagan's presidency, overall spending by the federal government did not decline enough during his presidency to offset the loss in revenue from his tax cuts. This is why the national debt (as a percent of GDP) doubled during the 1980s.
During the Progressive Era ...
social movements, labor unions, and political parties started to put pressure on the federal government to regulate (among other things) railroads, child labor, and monopolies. the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the federal government's authority under the Commerce Clause narrowly, contending that neither that clause nor any other part of the Constitution gave Congress authority to regulate economic production.