Argumentative Essay On Constitutional Federalism - 966 Words

Federalism is the system of government in which the United States and many other countries operate. . Federalism a system that involves compromising between the two extremes of Centralization and Decentralization. The system always has opposing sides pushing to get the balance more to their side of the spectrum. In the United States these forces are usually seen as Democrats and Republicans. I see the U.S. located on the spectrum of federalism much closer to Centralization than Decentralization. Currently, the Republican party has a majority in congress and a Republican President. Therefore, we have already seen those forces trying to put more power into the states hands. Although it may seem cut and dry in the eyes of most Americans, it†¦show more content†¦The Federal Government flows money to the state and local governments through a program called Grants in Aid. They use a system of Categorical and Block grants. Categorical has more strings attached and Block grants have little to no strings attached. In this process we see another aspect of Federalism called Intergovernmental Federalism. This is the ranking of how power flows through our government. It starts with the Federal Government following with the state government, then breaking down into smaller forms of local government. This is also how we see money flow throughout the government; there is specific grants for those lower on the power ranks such as school district grants. These systems show how it is important to have a strong Federal Government, as well as strong decentralized governments. The Federal Government has a major influence on what the states can do but, in some situations, they interact with each other to solve certain issues. This is called Horizontal Federalism and used when states make interactions with other states for the benefit of each state. Sometimes, the Federal Government has to intervene in certain interstate compacts to protect other states. An example of this wo uld be federal guidelines for work on the Mississippi River, the upper states sometimes do work on the river at the same time which can lead to flooding at the lower parts of the river. ToShow MoreRelatedThe Underlying Consequence of Separation of Power2126 Words   |  9 Pagesembodiment of slavery, while immoral and unethical, was a source of revenue for southern states to supply their economy with free labor. Federalism—defined as a relationship between the federal, state, and local government where the power of the national government was strengthened due to citizens’ discontent of the Articles of Confederation. Combined federalism with the separation of power, it created immense disempowering consequences for African-Americans in their struggle for equality. The intention