Federalism Pt. 2

The Supremacy Clause

Gives the national government supremacy over state and local governmentsStates cannot use reserved or concurrent

powers to counter national policiesState and local officeholders must take an oath

supporting the U.S. Constitution upon taking office.

The clause created many conflicts throughout historyMost significantly the Civil War

Little Rock, AK

The Civil War and Federalism

The Civil War was a power struggle between the states and the national government

Nullification CrisisTariffs on imported goods angered SouthernersSouth Carolina attempted to nullify (make void)

the tariffsBelieved that the state should have the ultimate

authority to determine the welfare of its citizens

Civil War and Federalism Cont’d

Supporters of Nullification used the idea to justify secession-or the withdrawal of the states from the Union

The defeat of the South in the Civil War resulted in an increase of political power for the national government

Critical ThinkingDo you think the Southerners were right in their thinking that the states should have the ultimate authority in the welfare of their people? Why or why not?

Dual Federalism

This model states that the federal and state governments are basically equalEach level of government has separate and distinct functions

Courts sometimes often ruled in favor of local or state governments over the national government

Predominant until the 1930s

Cooperative Federalism

This model views the national and state government as complimentary parts of a single governmental mechanism

The purpose of this “mechanism” is to solve problems facing the entire United States

Grew out of the need to solve the tremendous problems of the Great Depression

The Great Depression and the New DealThe New Deal was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt

It involved many government spending measures aimed at getting the U.S. out of the Great Depression

This marked the beginning cooperative federalism and the beginning of national supremacy

The New Deal

Critical ThinkingDo you think that cooperative federalism and national supremacy (a stronger national government) would have developed if it hadn’t been for the Great Depression?

1960s and the Great Society

The Great Society was created by President Johnson and greatly increased the powers of the national government

Examples include:Medicaid and MedicareJob CorpsCivil Rights Act of 1964

The Great Society

New FederalismNew Federalism was meant to be a revival of Dual

FederalismLaunched by President Nixon in the 1970s and

supported by President Reagan in the 1980s Involved returning to the states certain powers that

have been exercised by the national government since the 1930sExample: 1996 welfare reform gave the states

more authority over welfare programs

New Federalism