Federalism in the United States: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Division of powers between national, state, tribal and local governments}}

{{Use mdy dates|date = March 2019}}

{{Multiple issues|

'''Federalism in the United States''' is the constitutional division of power between [[U.S. state]] governments and the [[federal government of the United States]]. Since the founding of the country, and particularly with the end of the [[American Civil War]], power shifted away from the states and toward the national government. The progression of federalism includes [[dual federalism|dual]], [[Cooperative federalism|cooperative]], and [[new federalism]].

 

Federalism is a form of political organization that seeks to distinguish states and unites them, which assigns different types of decision-making power at different levels to allow a degree of political independence in an overarching structure.<ref name=":1">{{Citation|last=Follesdal|first=Andreas|title=Federalism|date=2018|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2018/entries/federalism/|encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|editor-last=Zalta|editor-first=Edward N.|edition=Summer 2018|publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University|access-date=2021-02-06}}</ref> Federalism was a political solution for the problems with the [[Articles of Confederation]] which gave little practical authority to the federal government. For example, the Articles allowed the [[Continental Congress]] the power to sign treaties and declare war, but it could not raise taxes to pay for an army and all major decisions required a unanimous vote.<ref name=":0">{{harvnb|Gerston|2007|pp=24–25}}</ref>