The Constitution is really important in how the United States shares power between the national government and state governments. This sharing of power is known as federalism. It means that both levels of government can work independently on some things and work together on others.
Enumerated Powers: Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution lists the specific powers that Congress has. Some of these powers include:
The national government has 18 specific powers it must follow to manage things at the national level.
Reserved Powers: The Tenth Amendment says, “The powers not given to the United States by the Constitution, or not forbidden to the states, are kept by the states or the people.” This means that if the Constitution doesn’t specifically give a power to the national government, that power belongs to the states. This protects the states' ability to govern themselves.
Concurrent Powers: Some powers are shared between national and state governments, called concurrent powers. These include:
According to the National Association of Secretaries of State, as of 2022, all states have the ability to collect taxes on their own. This shows how important concurrent powers can be.
Article VI, Clause 2 talks about the Supremacy Clause. This clause says that the Constitution, along with federal laws and treaties, is the highest law of the land. If there is a disagreement between state laws and federal laws, the federal laws win. This rule is really important for keeping a balance of power, especially when state laws might go against national rules.
You can see federalism in many different areas, like:
Healthcare: The Affordable Care Act (2010) increased federal power by allowing states to expand their Medicaid programs, but each state could decide if they wanted to join in.
Education: There are federal rules, but states run their own education systems. In 2020, states provided about 45% of the funding for public schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Criminal Justice: Each state makes its own criminal laws, but these laws still follow the Constitution. By 2021, about 60% of the nation’s 800,000 law enforcement officers worked for state and local governments.
To sum it all up, the Constitution helps to define what the national and state governments can and cannot do. This creates a way for both levels of government to function well together while keeping their responsibilities clear. This system of federalism allows the government to be flexible and responsive to both national and local needs.
The Constitution is really important in how the United States shares power between the national government and state governments. This sharing of power is known as federalism. It means that both levels of government can work independently on some things and work together on others.
Enumerated Powers: Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution lists the specific powers that Congress has. Some of these powers include:
The national government has 18 specific powers it must follow to manage things at the national level.
Reserved Powers: The Tenth Amendment says, “The powers not given to the United States by the Constitution, or not forbidden to the states, are kept by the states or the people.” This means that if the Constitution doesn’t specifically give a power to the national government, that power belongs to the states. This protects the states' ability to govern themselves.
Concurrent Powers: Some powers are shared between national and state governments, called concurrent powers. These include:
According to the National Association of Secretaries of State, as of 2022, all states have the ability to collect taxes on their own. This shows how important concurrent powers can be.
Article VI, Clause 2 talks about the Supremacy Clause. This clause says that the Constitution, along with federal laws and treaties, is the highest law of the land. If there is a disagreement between state laws and federal laws, the federal laws win. This rule is really important for keeping a balance of power, especially when state laws might go against national rules.
You can see federalism in many different areas, like:
Healthcare: The Affordable Care Act (2010) increased federal power by allowing states to expand their Medicaid programs, but each state could decide if they wanted to join in.
Education: There are federal rules, but states run their own education systems. In 2020, states provided about 45% of the funding for public schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Criminal Justice: Each state makes its own criminal laws, but these laws still follow the Constitution. By 2021, about 60% of the nation’s 800,000 law enforcement officers worked for state and local governments.
To sum it all up, the Constitution helps to define what the national and state governments can and cannot do. This creates a way for both levels of government to function well together while keeping their responsibilities clear. This system of federalism allows the government to be flexible and responsive to both national and local needs.