For Students
government powers under U.S. federalism
A Venn diagram showing government powers under U.S. federalism.
federalism
political science
- Key People:
- Daniel Webster
- Roger B. Taney
- Louis Brandeis
- Johannes Althusius
- Related Topics:
- states’ rights
- secession
- local option
- nullification
- sovereignty association
federalism, mode of political organization that unites separate states or other polities within an overarching political system in a way that allows each to maintain its own integrity. Federal systems do this by requiring that basic policies be made and implemented through negotiation in some form, so that all the members can share in making and executing decisions. The political principles that animate federal systems emphasize the primacy of bargaining and negotiated coordination among several power centres; they stress the virtues of dispersed power centres as a means for safeguarding individual and local liberties. The various political systems that call ...(100 of 1690 words)