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Shickre A. Sabbagha
Political Science Instructor
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Federalism: Structure of Government

 

Unitary

Federal

Confederal

N*

N*

N

$

$

& # %

L

S 1 S 1 S*

S 1 S 1 S*

 

$ $ $

$ $ $

 

L – L – L

L – L – L

 

 

 

Nat'l government sovereign

Split between nat'l and state

States/sub-nat'l sovereign

 

Grants-In-Aid

§      Categorical

§      General revenue

§      Block

 

Periods of Federalism: State-Centered Federalism

  1. Nationalization: 1800 - 1835 (protect & strengthen)

·         Marshall Court – Chief Justice John Marshall

·         Marbury v. Madison (1803) – gave Supreme Court power of judicial review

·         McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) – Congress given broad power to pass legislation                                                            “necessary” is convenient

·         Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) – Congress has broad power to regulate commerce

 

  1. Dual Federalism I: 1835 – 1865

·         Federal system unravels over slavery

·         Nullification Doctrine

·         Calhoun's State Compact Theory

 

  1. Dual Federalism II: 1865 – 1932

·         No change in Federal state power sharing arrangement

·         Slavery is abolished

·         Modern political party system emerges

·         14th Amendment: creates new Federal citizenship, protects Federal citizenship from states, due process for life/liberty/property, equal protection clause extends to all persons

 

  1. Cooperative Federalism: 1932 – 1964

·         FDR & Democrats: use office of the President and Federal government to get United States out of the Great Depression

·         New Deal: the economic reconstruction of American capitalism

·         Government aid for individuals, businesses, and states

·         Partnership with states to “aid the general welfare”

·         Categorical grants: specific grants to states/individuals for Federal programs


 
  1. Creative/Centralized Federalism: 1964 - 1968

·         Height of US Federal power

·         LBJ's Great Society: war on poverty, space program

·         United States over-extends at home and abroad: Vietnam war

·         Very generous programs for all segments of society, including the poor

 

  1. Nixon's New Federalism: 1968

·         General revenue sharing

·         Open grant money to states

·         “Law & order,” “peace with honor”

·         Watergate

 

  1. New Federalism II (Reagan's Salad Bowl)

·         25% cut to welfare programs for the poor

·         Reduced taxes for the wealthy

·         No new welfare programs

·         Massive military build-up

·         Block grants: grants to a specific area

·         Massive budget deficits

·         Huge Federal debt

 

  1. Devolution

·         Clinton/Republican Rehnquist Congress/Supreme Court

·         Welfare reform

·         Budget surplus until 2001

·         Transfer power to states

·         Congress: power limited