Federalism

Ms. Stephens

Federalism
A system of government in which a written

constitution divides the powers of

government on a territorial basis between a
central, or national, government and
several regional governments, usually
called states or provinces.

Division of Powers

Expressed Powers
Powers that are delegated to the National

Government that are spelled out and expressively

said in the Constitution.
Also called the enumerated powers

Article 1, Section 8
27 Powers
Power to collect taxes, coin money, regulate foreign

trade and interstate commerce, raise and maintain

armed forces, declare war, fix standards of weights
and measures, grant patents and copyrights, and
many other things.
Article 2, Section 2 gives powers to the President.
Grant pardons, make treaties, and appoint major

federal officials, among other things.

Implied Powers
Powers that are not expressively stated in the

Constitution but are reasonably suggested, or

implied, by the expressed powers.
Article 1, Section 8, Clause 18 gives Congress
the necessary and proper power.
Also known as the elastic clause

Examples of the National Government using

these implied powers would be the building of

42,000-mile interstate highway systems,
making the moving of illegal goods across
state lines to be a federal crime, prohibiting
racial discrimination in public places, among
others.

Reserved Powers
Powers that the Constitution does not grant

the National Government and does not, at the

same time, deny to the States.
States can forbid persons under 18 to marry
without parental consent or allow anyone
under the age of 21 to purchase alcohol. It
can also ban the selling of pornography,
outlaw prostitution, and permit gambling
(think Nevada).
Provide State licenses to doctors, lawyers,
hair-dressers, plumbers, teachers, ect.
Most of what government does in this country
today is done by the states.

Inherent Powers
Powers that Congress and the president need

to get the job done right.

Although they are not specified in the
Constitution, they are reasonable powers that
are a logical part of the powers delegated to
Congress and the President.
Examples of this would be
The President using an Executive Order.
As an example, we can consider President Barack
Obama's decision to raise the federal minimum wage
for all workers of the federal government.
Louisiana Territory Purchase
Acquiring territory

Whats the difference between

implied and inherent powers?
The implied powers, in the elastic clause

of the Constitution, are powers the national

government requires to carry out the
expressed powers. The inherent powers
of the national government are powers it
exercises simply because it is a
government.
Implied: Expressed power to declare
warnot enough men to go to war
implied power to draft men to the
military.
Inherent: Acquiring territory (Westward
Expansion)youre a countryyou can