United States Government

1906 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Quizlet government federalism

United States Government

The United States has a deeply rooted and embedded tradition through the Constitution of having a federalist style of governing as its structural framework for operating and guiding the government of the country. The form of governing is best described as a balance between powers of the central government and the powers of each independent and autonomic state. “Federalism is a system in which the power to govern is shared between national and provincial (state) governments, creating what is often called a federation” (Wikipedia 1).This style of governance has not been the only structure instituted in American history in order to implement civilized law and order among the people of the land. Prior to the adoption of the United States Constitution in 1787 the American people and their respective states were governed by the Articles of Confederation. This document, adopted in 1781 by the American colonies transforming them officially into independent states and as a country, provided the citizens of the new nation with their first experiment in independent liberty and organized government. In July 1776 The United Colonies needed to develop a new Confederation to declare war against England, this included ratification for all 13 states and became the first “Constitution” (Klos 1). As the title of this historic document suggests, the style of government provided the American people through the Articles of Confederation is that of a confederacy. A confederate government consists of independent states that have an overriding and unquestioned sovereign authority over their affairs. The type of political system the Founding Fathers of the United States severed their colonial connections to was that of a uni...

... middle of paper ...

...ticularly better in all cases than another. However, careful examination of the concepts and application of the confederacy, unitary, and federalism styles of government is vital to leading the world in a direction that brings ordered and civilized government to all countries.

Works Cited

www.archives.gov/.../document.html?...Articles%20of%20Confederation (accessed June 30, 2010).

www.pgcps.org/~croom2/Reading_Government%20Systems.doc (accessed Jun 30, 2010).

www.usconstitution.net/csa.html (accessed Jun 30, 2010).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/federalism 6 July 2006

Klobs, Stanley L. Articles Of Confederation November 15, 1777. 6 July 2010.

http://thedeclarationofindependence.org/articlesofconfederation.com/

Roskin, Michael G., Robert L. Cord, James A. Medeiros, and Walter S. Jones. Political Science: An

Introduction, 11th edition.

Show More
Related

  • Articles of Confederation Remedied by The Constitution

    1723 Words  | 4 Pages

    The year of 1776 was a time of revolution, independence, and patriotism. American colonists had severed their umbilical cord to the Mother Country and declared themselves “Free and Independent States”.1 The chains of monarchy had been thrown off and a new government was formed. Shying away from a totalitarian government, the Second Continental Congress drafted a document called the Articles of Confederation which established a loose union of the states. It was an attempt at self-government that ended in failure. The Articles of Confederation had many defects which included a weak central government that lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, required equal representation and a unanimous vote to amend the Articles, and had only a legislative branch. As a result the United States lacked respect from foreign countries. These flaws were so severe that a new government had to be drafted and as a result the Constitution was born. This document remedied the weak points of the federal government and created one that was strong and fair, yet still governed by the people.

    Read More

  • Foundations of US Government

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the making of the United States, there were many events that are important. This paper intends to highlight a few of those events including; Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers. Many events in America’s history helped to establish the United States as a free and independent country. The Declaration of Independence in particular explains the rights and freedoms that Americans. Each document is like a stepping stones that leads to the next and building upon the pervious document.

    Read More

  • political views of federalists and republicans

    357 Words  | 1 Pages

    The federalists view saw the republicans view as a weakness. They insisted on a stronger common government. The federalists had an understanding that there could only be one sovereign in a political system, one final authority that everyone must obey and no one can appeal. They thought this was the only effective way in creating an effective central government. The independent states seemed to think it was clear that each one of them were independently sovereign, although based on history only small countries were suitable for the republican government. With history proving the republicans wrong for trying to create a republican government in the states the federalists were slowly trying to create a stronger central government. There first step was making the sovereign states agree to the Articles of Confederation which established a close alliance of independent states. The federalist central government was referred to as a “confederacy”.

    Read More

  • The Redistricting Game

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dye, Thomas R., L. Tucker Gibson, Jr., and Clay Robison. Politics in America. Ninth ed. Vol. 2. New York, NY: Longman, 2011. 337. Print.

    Read More

  • Federalists in the 19th Century

    1181 Words  | 3 Pages

    Federalism guarded against tyranny, provided military security, and reduced fighting amongst states. When the colonies declared their independence from Britain in 1786, the framers at the Constitution Convention attempted to balance the perceived tyranny. As a result, federalism was created in order to preserve freedom while still maintain order as a new nation. “The Federalist Paper No.51” by James Madison stated, “In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then the portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Hence a double security arises to the rights of the people. The different governments will control each other, at the same time that each will be controlled by itself.” The federalism was able to balance the power because of checks and balances. It distributed its power into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Checks and balances act to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful. Separation of powers does the same thing it divides powers among the three branches who then check each other. This result in double security to people...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The United States And Confederate States

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Formed at the eve of the Civil War, the United States (USA) and the Confederate States (CSA) were created for multiple reasons. The main reason of the formation includes that of political issues and slavery issues. Other ideas include the military, economics, etc. The USA was led by President Abraham Lincoln and the CSA was led under President Jefferson Davis. The CSA included the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The United States and Confederate States can be compared based on their advantages and viewpoints in the fields of how and why they were formed, the rights of the federal and state governments, views on slavery, economic issues, and the military strategies.

    Read More

  • Grace Abbott: The Mother of America's Forty-Three Million Children

    1725 Words  | 4 Pages

    Grace Abbott, Ph.M. (Political Science) 1909 [SSA Centennial Celebration Profiles of Distinction Series]. (n.d.). In Chicago/SSA/Centenial. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from The University of Chicago website: http://ssacentennial.uchicago.edu/features/features-abbott-grace.shtml

    Read More

  • federalism

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion the idea of Federalism is both very prevalent and very necessary to the way America functions. It was ratified in 1781 and is still used as the law of the land to date. Every facet of life is largely based on compromise, whether it is a relationship both friend, family, and lover, or on the job, or even with yourself. Sometimes you just have to meet in the middle, and sometime somebody needs to have more power so everything works out for the best. That’s what Federalism is all about, balancing the power between the federal government and the states. The United States is not a dictatorship or run by tyranny, everyone including the normal citizens of America have the freedom to have a say and speak out about what’s best, however leaders are necessary. All this is covered in the Constitution under the laws and regulations of Federalism.

    Read More

  • Anti-Federalist vs Federalist

    2017 Words  | 5 Pages

    According to the Federalists in the early stages of the American republic, a strong central government was necessary to provide uniform supervision to the states thus aiding in the preservation of the Union. This necessity for a more organized central government was a result of the ineffectiveness of the Article of Confederation’s government that was without a unifying government body. One component of this philosophy was the creation of an executive and other federal branche...

    Read More

  • New National Holiday: Implementing Election Day as a Holiday

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ken Kollman, The American Political System, (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2012), 25, 322-323, 330, 449.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Federalism

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Federalism is perhaps the greatest form of government by the people and for the people because of its evolution. Because people and society change, so must the form of government that presides over them. Federalism allows the flexibility to do so.

    Read More

  • Competitive Federalism

    2725 Words  | 6 Pages

    Even before the Constitution was ratified, strong argument were made by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in the Federalist Papers urging the inclusion of a federal form of government to replace the failed confederation. In Federalist Paper No. 9 Hamilton states, “This form of government is a convention by which several smaller states agree to become members of a large one, which they intend to form. It is s kind of assemblage of societies that constitutes a new one, capable of increasing, by means of new associations, until they arrive to such a degree of power as to be able to provide for the security of a united body” (Usinfo.state.gov). The people of the United States needed a central government that was capable of holding certain powers over the states.

    Read More

  • Essay On Federalism

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion Federalism is a big part of our country. Federalism does have its pros and cons but it’s safe to say that it has so far worked out fairly well. Still, we must keep in mind that federalism does affects our everyday lives and many times we take for granted that the individual in political parties will make the right decisions for the well-being of the public, though at times it is not always be the case. We must remember that for change to happen we must be involved and ready to learn and see and understand ways that we can make a difference, for at the end of the day it is our lives that are affected with every single decision that is made.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Shakespeare's Prince Hamlet and Machiavelli’s The Prince

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jones, W. T. Masters of Political Thought. Ed. Edward, McChesner, and Sait. Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1947.

    Read More

  • Federalism

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    Overall, the benefits of the federalism far exceed the anti-federalist movement’s causes. Federalism provides a much more organized and uniform government and promotes harmony between states and the central government by allowing them to work together. Sharing the burden between both federal and state authorities allows each governing body to handle their respective priorities more efficiently while at the same time sharing power to avoid having one ruling body that has so much power and opportunity to become tyrannical. I believe that if the founding fathers were alive they very day, they would pat each other in the back and acknowledge the progress that has been made.

    Read More

More about United States Government

Open Document