POS 2041 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Commerce Clause, Supremacy Clause, Implied Powers

• School: UCF
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POS 2041
• Professor: Beth Rosenson

Document Summary

Defining federalism: federalism: a system of government that divides power and sovereignty over a territory between two or more separate governments, multiple levels of government make decisions for one population. Constitutional basis: combined features of a confederacy with features of a unitary government. Divide the power: single most persistent source of political conflict = national government and states. Decentralization: federalism decentralizes power: no one person holds more power than another, increased: political participation/public involvement. In comparison: unitary governments: all power resides in the central government, confederation: national government is weak and most of the power in states. Federalist #51: the only way to counteract the effects of factions is to have more factions. Powers of government: enumerated powers: powers given to government by constitution, reserved powers: powers reserved for states, concurrent powers: shared powers, implied powers: powers inferred from constitution. Necessary & proper: prohibited powers: denied from both.