Federalism, An Effective Form Of Government Essay

Danielle Norman Professor Derrick American National Government 27 October 2016 1289 Federalism, an Effective Form of Government The United States of America is commonly known as a democracy and when asked most people could easily define what a democracy is. America is also rooted in the principle of federalism. It’s reasonable to assume that far less people could offer up a definition of federalism as easily as we could for democracy even though its arguable that federalism is a key component of the United States government. Simply put, the principle of federalism is the constitutional agreement to divide power between the national government and state and local governments with the understanding that each has the power to enforce laws but cannot change the agreement without consent from the other (Dye 98). There are many types of federalism but the underlying theme of dividing power remains in each type. The division of power between government acts as a protective force for citizens. Without that division, or balance, of powers it is possible that one branc h of government would have too much power. Governments that place too much power in the hands of state and local government cannot protect citizens from the paradox of democracy (Dye 15). What happens when the majority supports something that actively discriminates and harms the minority? Without the central government, there would be no protection for those minority groups. For example, even though a large majorityShow MoreRelatedFederalism Vs. Cooperative Federalism1469 Words   |  6 PagesRight now the current form of Federalism that the United States uses today is called New Federalism, or Cooperative Federalism. Cooperative Federalism was created as a political model around 1937 that emphasized â€Å"teamwork† between the National and State governments. This was created to ensure that both governments would work together in order to provide services more efficiently in the Nation. This is why Cooperative Federalism is appealing to this day and still exercised, because the U.S. has stillRead MoreEssay on United States Government and Federalism1473 Words   |  6 Pagesgrappled with the idea of federalism. While former President James Madison had a very concrete understanding of that form of governance, â€Å"In the compound republic of America, the power surrendered by the people is first divided between two distinct governments, and then portion allotted to each subdivided among distinct and separate departments† (Madison, 1788, p. 67), the United States has never had a conclusive division of power between the state and the US Federal Governments. 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