Chapter 3: Vocabulary

Question 1

federalism

Answer 1

system of shared power between units of government.

Question 2

unitary governments

Answer 2

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

Question 3

intergovernmental relations

Answer 3

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

Question 4

supremacy clause

Answer 4

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

Question 5

Tenth Amendment

Answer 5

states that “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibitedd by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.”

Question 6

McCulloch v. Maryland

Answer 6

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.

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

Article 1, Section 8- authorizes Congress to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the enumerated powers.

Question 10

Gibbons v. Ogden

Answer 10

landmark case decided in 1824 in which the Supreme Court interpreted the clause in Article 1, Section 8, giving 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, requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgement rendered by the courts of other states

Question 12

extradition

Answer 12

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

Question 13

privileges and immunities

Answer 13

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

Question 14

dual federalism

Answer 14

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

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

Question 16

fiscal federalism

Answer 16

pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government’s relations with state and local governments.

Question 17

categorical grants

Answer 17

federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes of state and local spending

Question 18

project grants

Answer 18

federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the 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.