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What is the difference between state powers and federal powers?
Which power is exclusive to the federal government?
What powers does a state have to ratify amendments?
Do states have a lot of power?
Learn how the Tenth Amendment and the Supreme Court define the powers of the state governments in the U.S. Constitution. Explore examples of state powers, such as health, education, and welfare, and their limits under federal law.
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A high-level overview of the relationship between the states and the federal government.
Government in the United States is shared between local, state, and federal governments. The distribution of power between state and national governments has changed over time in response to societal needs.
The US Constitution: Articles IV and V of the US Constitution outline the federal system used in the United States today.
Article IV establishes that the states will give “full faith and credit” to the laws of other states. For example, if a citizen gets legally married in one state, he is still married if he moves to another state. Likewise, if a citizen commits a crime in one state, she cannot escape to another state and evade justice. States also can’t discriminate against citizens of other states if they move; any US citizen who moves to a state is entitled to the same “privileges and immunities” of citizenship in that state as someone born there.
Article IV also promises states the protection of the federal government. It does this by promising to defend states against invasion, guaranteeing them a republican form of government, and barring the federal government from splitting up a state without the consent of its legislature and Congress.
Article V describes the process of amending the Constitution, which requires the ratification of three-quarters of the states. This provision of the Constitution demonstrates the importance of the states in approving the workings of the US government.
Constitutional allocation of power: In addition to the separation of powers and system of checks and balances that guard against any one branch of the federal government becoming too powerful, federalism separates the powers of the federal and state governments as an added security measure to reign in government power. The federal system grants states large autonomy over lawmaking within their borders, so long as they do not violate citizens’ rights or contradict federal laws. The federal government is also able to assert power over the states through grants and mandates.
This system allows local state governments to be responsive to the particular needs of their citizens while binding the states together into a larger nation.
Name one power exclusive to the federal government and one power exclusive to state governments. Now, name two concurrent powers shared by both state governments and the federal government.
Why is the American system of government divided into three levels? What is the impact of the federal system on US policymaking?
Why are certain powers reserved to different levels of government? Can you make a generalization about the kinds of powers reserved to the federal government vs. the kinds of powers reserved to state governments?
[Notes and attributions]
Learn how the US Constitution distributes powers between state and national governments, and how they cooperate and compete in policymaking. See examples of exclusive, concurrent, and shared powers, and how they affect citizens' rights and interests.
Learn how the US government is divided into federal and state levels, and how they share and compete for power. Explore the exclusive and concurrent powers of each level, and how they have changed over time.
- Why "Regulating the mail" is an exclusive federal power? If there any historical background? ThanksThink about it: if the mail were controlled by individual states, counties or cities, it would be extremely difficult to carry items between the ju...
- How is it decided whether a power is state or federal?the constitution gives powers to the federal government and any power not given to them in the constitution is a state power
- why can the state declare war but national gov cannotIt's quite the opposite -- a national government can declare war, but a state should not. If there is a war, a unified country should respond in a...
- What if someone ask for a law that is unfare?If someone were to suggest an unfair law and the other members of the House of Representatives see that it is unfair, then it will be shut down, bu...
This web page is part of a free textbook on American government, but it has a glitch and cannot be accessed. It covers the concept of state power and delegation, and provides examples of federal and state powers.
Learn about the concept, characteristics, and examples of federalism, a system that divides power between national and subnational governments. Compare federalism with unitary and confederation systems and explore the constitutional logic and functions of federal, state, and local governments.
- OpenStax
- 2016
Learn about the concept of federalism, a system of government that divides power between national and state levels. See examples of exclusive, shared, and mixed powers, and how they shape the U.S. political system.
- 6 min
ArtI.S10.C1.6.4.2 State Sovereign Powers and Contracts. Article I, Section 10, Clause 1: No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Th ing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law ...
