Study Guide

Understanding Federalism (pg 80-86)

Along with many other countries, the American system of government has
divided power between national and regional or state governments. That
division of power has varied over time, and Americas notion of federalism
has evolved through a number of forms.
Key Terms
federalism (p. 80)
sovereign (p. 82)
Practice Quiz
1. Federalism refers to
a) a system of government where cities are strong.
b) a system of government where executive power is grounded in a
committee of governors.
c) a system of government where there is a national government as well as a
number of regional governments.
d) a system of government dominated by business interests. e) a system of
government with strong parliaments.
2. The Articles of Confederation
a) was a loose confederation of independent states that operated in the
1820s.
b) was never accepted by a majority of the states.
c) derived its power directly from the state governments.
d) replaced the U.S. Constitution of 1787. e) outlawed effective state
constitutions.
3. The relationship between the states and the national government
a) has been a matter of continuing controversy throughout the nations
history.
b) was finally settled when the Articles of Confederation were rejected in
favor of the U.S. Constitution.
c) was resolved for all time by the Civil War.
d) was resolved by Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution. e) was not a
problem in a federal system.
4. The Supreme Court under John Marshall expanded national power partly
through
a) rejecting the Articles of Confederation.
b) expanding the meaning of interstate commerce.
c) expanding Congresss war-making powers.
d) ignoring the Tenth Amendment.
e) increasing the powers of the president.
5. Prior to the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Bill of Rights
a) applied only to states.
b) applied only to the national government.
c) applied to states and the national government.
d) was essential in protecting individual rights.
e) was applied only in extreme cases of rights violations.

6. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) was important

a) in establishing that the national government had implied powers.
b) in establishing that state governments had implied powers.
c) in showing that the state and national governments could cooperate.
d) in preventing national banks from operating.
e) in destroying corrupt state banking systems
Dual Federalism
Trace the major changes in national and state power over time (pp. 8690)
American federalism has gone through major changes over the history of the
country. In the late nineteenth century there was a strict division between the
powers of the state and the powers of the national government. That division
was called dual federalism or layer-cake federalism. During Franklin
Roosevelts New Deal, federalism was dramatically redefined and there was
greater involvement of the national government in all areas of American life.
Cooperative federalism or marble cake federalism became the new approach
to state and national relationships. In recent times, many believe federalism
has taken a new form and has become coercive, where the national
government compels the state to act in ways that achieve national
priorities.
Key Terms
Reconstruction (p. 86)
dual federalism (p. 86)
layer-cake federalism (p. 87)
marble-cake federalism (p. 87)
cooperative federalism (p. 87)
categorical grants (p. 87)
New Federalism (p. 90)
block grants (p. 90)
Practice Quiz
7. Dual federalism
a) refers to a system of government where states do most of the governing.
b) existed in the United States following World War II.
c) rejected the idea that states were sovereign political entities.
d) is the idea that there are two branches to the national legislature.
e) drained all power from state governments.
8. Layer-cake federalism switched to marble-cake federalism
a) after the Civil War.
b) during World War I.
c) during the New Deal.
d) after the fall of the Soviet Union.
e) because of President Ronald Reagans efforts.
9. The use of categorical grants was a way of promoting
a) cooperative federalism.
b) dual federalism.

c) coercive federalism.
d) bipartisan federalism.
e) civil rights.
FINISH ON PAGE 102
Coercive Federalism
The incorporation of much of the Bill of Rights has limited the power of state
governments by making them subject to restrictions under the U.S.
Constitution. Additionally, the preemption doctrine has allowed the national
government to prohibit state legislation in certain fields. An important
constitutional provision that limits state action is the Fourteenth Amendment,
particularly the equal protection clause of that amendment which prohibits
discriminatory actions by state governments. Until recently, a number of
jurisdictionsincluding Texaswere limited by the 1965 Voting Rights Act in
the legislation they could pass involving the electoral process, although a
recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has made it possible for Texas to pass
controversial voter identification legislation. Finally, while state governments
cannot reduce the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, they can
expand those guarantees under the concept of independent state grounds.
Key Terms
coercive federalism (p. 90)
unfunded mandates (p. 90)
preemption (p. 90)
Sanford dictum (p. 94)
selective incorporation (p. 94)
separate but equal (p. 96)
strict scrutiny (p. 96)
rational basis test (p. 96)
intermediate standard of review (p. 97)
independent state grounds (p. 99)
Describe the sources of national and state power as they relate to federalism
today (pp. 90100)
Practice Quiz
10. Hostility to modern federalism is partly a result of
a) dual federalism.
b) funded mandates.
c) unfunded mandates.
d) Tenth Amendment interpretations.
e) high taxes.
11. States must adhere to most of the provisions of the Bill of Rights because
of a process known as
a) inclusion of the Bill of Rights.
b) incorporation of the Bill of Rights.
c) expansion of the Bill of Rights.
d) ratification of the Bill of Rights.
e) the Sanford dictum.
12. The equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

a) makes it difficult for states to discriminate against minorities.

b) is rarely used by federal courts.
c) ensures that states will continue to have a republican form of
government.
d) mandates the right to vote for all adult citizens.
e) requires all states to have an equal number of senators.
13. The outcome of a court case involving the equal protection clause
a) tends to be determined by the standard of review that is used.
b) depends on how unequal the law is.
c) depends on the skill of the lawyers.
d) can never be predicted.
e) is usually in favor of the state.
14. Independent state grounds
a) allow states to provide fewer state constitutional protections.
b) allow states to provide more state constitutional protections than the U.S.
Constitution.
c) allow states to remain independent of the national government.
d) prevent the national government from overriding the Tenth Amendment
rights of states.
e) limit the power of the national government to pass economic regulations.
15. The national government can preempt state laws because
a) the national government is weaker than any state.
b) the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution specially allows state laws to be
overridden by federal laws.
c) the supremacy clause of the Constitution makes national laws supreme
over state laws.
d) the Sanford dictum established preemption.
e) the main reason the Constitution was adopted was so that state laws could
be preempted.
16. The Voting Rights Act
a) ensured the right to vote for women.
b) ensured the right to vote for 18-year-olds.
c) approved photo ID requirements for voters.
d) required that voters know how to read and write.
e) was the major law providing the right to vote for African Americans