Chapter 3: Federalism

Question 1

federalism

Answer 1

A system of shared power between units of government.

Question 2

unitary governments

Answer 2

A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government.

Question 3

intergovernmental relations

Answer 3

The workings of the federal system-the entire set of interactions among national, state, and local governments.

Question 4

supremacy clause

Answer 4

Article VI in the Constitution which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within constitutional limits.

Question 5

Tenth Amendment

Answer 5

Constitutional amendment stating that “The powers not delegate to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

Question 6

McCulloch v. Maryland

Answer 6

An 1819 Supreme Court decision that established the supremacy of the national government over state governments.

Question 7

enumerated powers

Answer 7

Powers of the federal government that are specifically addressed in the Constitution. They include the power to coin money, regulate its value, and impose taxes.

Question 8

implied powers

Answer 8

Powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution.

Question 9

elastic clause

Answer 9

The final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, that authorizes Congress to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the enumerated powers.

Question 10

Gibbons v. Ogden

Answer 10

A landmark case decided in 1824 which gave Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce, encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity.

Question 11

full faith and credit

Answer 11

A clause in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgments rendered by the courts of other states.

Question 12

extradition

Answer 12

A legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

Question 13

privileges and immunities

Answer 13

A clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution according citizens of each state most privileges of citizens of other states.

Question 14

dual federalism

Answer 14

A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.

Question 15

cooperative federalism

Answer 15

A system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government.

Question 16

fiscal federalism

Answer 16

The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system.

Question 17

categorical grants

Answer 17

Federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or “categories,” of state and local spending.

Question 18

project grants

Answer 18

Federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of merits of applications.

Question 19

formula grants

Answer 19

Federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations.

Question 20

block grants

Answer 20

Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services.