The United States’ Founding Fathers intentionally and clearly divided authority between national and state governments to avoid putting too much power in any one place.
This model is known as a federalist system and has served as a blueprint for other nations: Nearly half of the world’s people live in a federalist system of government.
The framers were keen to avoid two extreme scenarios: If they vested too much power in the national government, an overly powerful, tyrannical head of state could arise. If the national government had too little authority, it could create a dysfunctional, unmanageable nation, as under the Articles of Confederation, the first U.S. constitution.
The Second Continental Congress, which drafted the Articles in 1776 and 1777, heavily favored the states and a weak central government, out of concern about the rise of an autocratic national government. The Articles of Confederation were replaced in 1789 by the current Constitution, which created a balance between national and state power and provided an enduring framework for more than 200 years.
Like the separation of powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government which are outlined in the Constitution, our federalist system is an intentional division of power to share authority, protect liberty, place boundaries on overly ambitious leaders, and promote democratic values.
Federalism was “the most feasible way for the people of the United States to create a continental-size democratic republic with a government strong enough to develop and protect the union without destroying the 13 constituent republics that preceded the union,” – the 13 original states – according to the nonpartisan, independent Center for the Study of Federalism. “Unwilling to create a single unitary government, the people created two independent, but coordinated, orders of government called the federal and state governments.”
The federal government has clear constitutionally delineated powers, and all other powers lie with the states, as outlined in the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution: The “powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,” the text reads.
The federal government is responsible for national-level and interstate actions such as regulating interstate commerce, declaring war and maintaining our military, printing money, managing our foreign policy, regulating immigration, managing the postal service, and regulating intellectual property. States have authority over many realms, most notably over holding and managing elections for their states. Additionally, they create policy and laws related to public health, safety, education, and intrastate commerce, among other issues.
This federalist system also helps a pluralistic democracy avoid one-size fits all policies that don’t work in every state and scenario. What’s good for California might not make sense for Texas, and vice versa. In this way, state governments are more accountable and attuned to the needs of their immediate constituents. This system also allows citizens to be more civically engaged at the levels of government that impact them most.
The United States is a large, complex nation with multiple levels of government. Dividing authority among different parts of our nation is an essential component in ensuring that our democratic republic remains strong, democratically oriented, and healthy.
Democracy is a verb.
