APUS' Ch' 3 Assignment

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APUS. Ch. 3 Assignment 1Answers
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• 1. What are the three ways of ordering relations
  between central governments and local units?

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• A unitary system.
• A confederal system.
• A federal system.

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• What is a unitary system?

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• A unitary system is a centralized governmental
  system in which local or sub-divisional
  governments exercise only those powers given to
  them by the central government.

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• 3. List the major countries with a unitary
  system.

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• France, Britain, Sweden, Israel, Egypt, Ghana,
  and the Philippines and most other countries.

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• 4. What is a confederal system?

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• It is a system of government consisting of a
  league of independent states, each having
  essentially sovereign powers. The central
  government created by such a league has only
  limited powers over the states.

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• 5. What is the only European country with a
  confederal system?

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• Switzerland is a confederation of 23 sovereign
  cantons.

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• 6. How does a federal system differ from a
  unitary system?

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• It differs sharply from a unitary one in which
  the central government is supreme and the
  constituent governments derive their authority
  from it. In the federal system each level of
  government has its own sovereign powers.

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• 7. List the major countries with a federal
  system.

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• The U.S., Australia, Canada, Mexico, India,
  Brazil, and Germany.

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• 8. Why was a federal system chosen by the
  founding fathers?

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• The basis was laid down at the Constitutional
  Convention where there was a battle between those
  who favored a strong national government and
  those who favor states rights. The federal
  system was a compromise.

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• 9. What was the appeal of the federal system?

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• The appeal of the federal system was that it
  retained state traditions and local power while
  establishing a strong national government capable
  of handling common problems.

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• 10. How did the geography affect which system
  was to be used?

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• The 13 colonies together were larger than
  England or France. Slow travel and
  communication, combined with geographic spread,
  contributed to the isolation of many regions
  within the colonies which therefore needed a
  federal system for survival.

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• 11. What are the three major arguments for
  federalism in the U.S. and other countries?

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• For big countries many functions can be farmed
  out by the central government to the states or
  provinces.
• Even with modern transportation and
  communications systems, the sheer geographic or
  population size of some nations makes it
  impractical to locate all political authority in
  one place.

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• 3) Federalism brings government closer to the
  people.

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• 12. What have been the benefits for the U.S. by
  having a federal system?

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• State governments long have been a training
  ground for future national leaders.
• States have been testing grounds for new
  governmental initiativesunemployment
  compensation, air-pollution control, welfare
  reform, marijuana use for medicine, etc.

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• 13. List the areas of subcultures of the U.S.
  that have benefited by the federal system.

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• Race, ethnic, wealth, education, degree of
  religious fundamentalism, and sexual preferences.

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• 14. What are the major arguments against
  federalism?

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• It is a way for powerful state and local
  interests to block progress and impede national
  plans.
• Expansion of national powers have been at the
  expense of the states.
• Too many Americans suffer as a result of the
  inequalities across the stateseducational
  spending and achievement.

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• 15. Where are smaller political units more
  likely to be dominated by a single political
  group? How has that affected minorities?

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• Smaller political units are more likely to be
  dominated by a single political group in some
  cities and states.
• This has usually hurt minoritiesblacks in the
  South Gays and lesbians today in the South.

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• 16. What does the Constitution say about
  federalism?

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• The Constitution does not mention federalism.

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• What are the three types of powers set out by the
  Constitution?

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• Powers of the national government.
• Powers of the states.
• Prohibited powers.

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• 18. What are the three types of powers delegated
  to the national government?

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• Expressed or enumerated powers.
• Implied powers.
• Inherent powers.

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• Where are the expressed powers spelled out in the
  Constitution?

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• Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution

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• 20. List the examples of the enumerated (or
  expressed) powers.

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• Coin money, setting standards for weights and
  measures, making uniform naturalization laws,
  admitting new states, establishing post offices,
  declaring war, and regulating commerce among the
  states.

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• 21. What is the elastic clause? Where is it
  found? When was it first used?

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• The elastic clause is the necessary and proper
  clause found in Article I, Section 8.
• It was first used in the Supreme Court case of
  McCulloch v. Maryland.

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• 22. What are the inherent powers? Where are
  they derived?

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• Inherent powers are those that are not implied by
  the necessary and proper clause, but are derived
  from the fact that the U.S. is a sovereign power
  among nations, and as such, its national
  government must be the only government that deals
  with other nations.

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• 23. Give examples of how the inherent powers
  have been used to expand the U.S.

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• Lands that have been acquired by the inherent
  powers are the Louisiana Purchase, Florida,
  Texas, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, and others.

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• 24. What does the 10th Amendment state?

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• The 10th Amendment states that the powers not
  delegated to the U.S. by the Constitution, nor
  prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to
  the states, or to the people.

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• 25. What is police power? What does it allow
  states to do?

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• Police power is the authority to legislate for
  the protection of the health, morals, safety, and
  welfare of the people. In the U.S., most police
  power is a reserved power of the states. It
  enables states to pass laws governing such
  activities as crimes, marriage, contracts,
  education, traffic laws, and land use.

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• How has the ambiguity of the 10th Amendment
  affected our history?

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• The ambiguity of the 10th Amendment has allowed
  the reserved powers of the states to be defined
  differently at different times in our history.
  When there is widespread support for increased
  regulation by the national govt., the 10th
  Amendment tends to recede into the background.
  When the tide turns the other way in favor of
  states rights, it is resurrected to justify them.

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• 27. What are concurrent powers? Give examples.

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• Concurrent powers are those that are held jointly
  by the national and state governments. Examples
  are the power to tax, the power to borrow
  money, to establish courts, and to charter banks
  and corporations.

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• 28. Give examples of the prohibited powers of
  both the national and state governments.

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• The national government is denied the power to
  impose taxes on goods sold to other countries
  (exports). Also, any power not delegated
  expressly or implicitly to the federal government
  by the Constitution is prohibited to it. (cant
  est. public education)
• States are denied the power to enter a treaty on
  its own with another country.

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• 29. What is the Supremacy Clause? Where is it
  found?

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• The Supremacy Clause is the constitutional
  provision that makes the Constitution and federal
  laws superior to all conflicting state and local
  laws. It is found in Artcle VI, Clause 2.

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• What supreme Court case established the Supremacy
  doctrine?

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• McCulloch v. Maryland

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• How has the number of national laws that
  preempted (taken precedence over) the state and
  local laws changed in the past 100 years?

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• The number of laws has risen from fewer than 20
  national laws preempted to nearly 120 today.

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• 32. What are vertical checks and balances?
  Describe the in detail.

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• The vertical checks and balances are those that
  exist between the states and the national
  government. The reserved powers of the states
  act as a check on the national government. The
  states interests are represented in Congress,
  and the citizens of the various states determine
  who will be president. It is also impossible for
  the national govt. to change the Constitution
  without the consent of the states.

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• National programs and policies are administered
  by the states, which gives the states
  considerable control over the ultimate shape of
  those programs and policies.
• The national govt. checks the states by
  exercising its constitutional powers under the
  elastic clause, supremacy clause, and commerce
  clause.

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• The national govt. can also influence policy
  with federal grants.

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• 33. What is horizontal federalism?

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• Horizontal Federalism is activities, problems,
  and policies that require state governments to
  interact with one another.

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• 34. What are the three most important clauses
  relating to horizontal federalism?

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• Give full faith and credit to every other states
  public acts, records, and judicial proceedings
  (Article IV, Section 1)
• Extend to every other stats citizens the
  privileges and immunities of its own citizens
  (article IV, Section 2)
• Agree to return persons who are fleeing from
  justice in another state back to their home state
  when requested to do so (Article IV, Section 2)

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• 35. What has been the most recent challenge to
  these clauses? Has mob rule taken hold again in
  most states?

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• The most recent challenge is whether states will
  be constituionally obligated to recognize
  same-sex marriages.
• Many would say that mob rule has taken place
  again by the fact some states are changing their
  constitutions to discriminate against gay/lesbian
  couples.

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• What are interstate compacts? Give an example.

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• Interstate compacts are agreements between two or
  more states. Minor ones do not require
  Congressional approval. Such compacts serve as a
  means by which states can solve regional
  problems. An example is the establishment of the
  Port Authority of N.Y. and New Jersey by an
  interstate compact. Another is the Interstate
  Oil and Gas Compact of 1935.

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