POLS 237 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: New Federalism, Help America Vote Act, Enumerated Powers

• School: Ball State University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLS 237
• Professor: Dr. Pamela M. Schaal

Document Summary

Authority divided between two or more distinct levels of government. United stated we have the national (federal) and the state. Confederation: group of states that value state rights. Loose affiliation with states rights and no central government. Unitary system: national and federal government has more control. Framers of the constitution rejected the confederal system b/c of their experience with the. Articles of confederation and the weak national government. Lack of unity caused european powers to threaten the sovereignty of the nation. Separated powers and checks and balances and the state and national governments as coequal partners. Implied: broad but undefined powers given by the constitution. Full faith and credit and privileges and immunities. State and federal governments have separate and distinct jurisdictions and responsibilities. Advocated of dual federalism sought to limit the federal government to exercising only a narrow interpretation of its enumerated powers. The federal government undertook a significant expansion of its policy responsibilities.