Pols ch.3
Terms
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- Federalism
- a system in which significant governmental powers are divided between a central government and smaller unites, such as states
- Categorical grants
- Federal aid to states and localities clearly specifying what the money can be used for
- Interstate Compacts
- Agreements among States to cooperate on solving mutual problems; requires approval by Congress
- Unitary System
- a system in which a central government has complete power over its constituent units or states
- States' rights position
- The view of American federalism that holds the Constitution created a system of dual sovereignty in which the national government and the state governments are sovereign in their own spheres
- Devolution
- The delegation of power by the central government to state or local bodies
- Mandate
- A formal order from the national government that the states carry out certain policies
- Block grants
- Federal grants to the states to be used for general activities
- Dual federalism
- An interpretation of federalism in which the states and the national government have separate jurisdictions and responsibilities
- Grants-in-aid
- Funds from the national government to state and local governments to help pay for programs created by the national government
- Preemption
- Exclusion of the states from actions that might interfere with federal authority or statutes
- Conditions
- Provisions in federal assistance requiring that state and local governments follow certain policies in order to obtain federal funds
- Reservation Clause
- The 10th Amendment to the Constitution, reserving powers to the states or the people
- Equal protection clause
- the section of the 14th amendment that provides equal protection of the laws to all citizens
- Due process clause
- The section of the 14th amendment that prohibits states from depriving anyone of life, liberty, or property "without due process of law" a guarantee against arbitary or unfair government action
- Nullification
- An attempt by states to declare national laws or actions null and void
- Cooperative federalism
- federalism in which the powers of the states and the national government are so intertwined that public policies can happen only if the two cooperate
- General Revenue sharing
- Federal aid to the states without any conditions on how the money is to be spent
- Dual federalism
- Federalism in which the powers of the states and the national government are neatly separated, like the sections of a layer cake
- Confederation
- a loose association of states or territorial divisions in which very little power is lodged in the central government
- Supremacy Clause
- The provision in Article 6 of the Constitution that the Constitution itself and the laws and treaties of the U.S. are the supreme law of the lands, taking precedence overstate laws and Constitutions
- Necessary and proper clause
- Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution also known as the elastic clause; gives congress the authority to make whatever laws are necessary and proper to carry out its enumerated responsibilities
- Civil War Amendments
- the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution adopted immediately after the Civil War
- Horizontal federalism
- Term used to refer to relationship among the states
- Nationalist position
- The view of American Federalism that holds that the Constitution created a system in which the national government is supreme, relative to the states, and that granted to it a broad range of powers and responsibilities