Federalism: The Sharing System
When the founding fathers first began drafting the Constitution, they wanted to create a system of government known as Federalism. According to the 8th grade U.S. History textbook, federalism is "...A system that divided power between the states and the federal government" (144). The Constitution writers believed that this form of government would make the federal government strong enough to protect its citizens but not so strong that it could harm its citizens. In addition, this system would allow the states to control local issues.
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The Three Powers of Federalism
Delegated PowersThese were the powers of government that were given to the federal government. Examples of this type of power includes coining money and regulating trade.
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Reserved PowersThese are the powers of government that were given to the state governments. They include the power to create local government and the power to hold elections.
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Concurrent PowersThese are the powers that are shared by the state and federal governments. Some examples of these powers include taxing, borrowing money, and enforcing the law.
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