Federalism Vocabulary

Federalism : A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of

government have formal authority over the same area of people.
Supremacy clause: A dispute between the state and national
governments, which prevails.
McCulloch v. Maryland : Court involving the second bank of the United
States
Enumerated powers: list of items found in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S.
Constitution that set forth the authority of Congress. In summary,
Congress may exercise the powers that the Constitution grants it, subject
to the individual rights listed in the Bill of Rights.
Implied powers: in the United States, are those powers authorized by a
document (from the Constitution) that, while not stated, seem to be
implied by powers expressly stated.
Elastic clause: granting Congress the power to pass all laws necessary and
proper for carrying out the enumerated list of powers.
Cooperative federalism: A system of government in which power and
policy assignments are shared between states and the national
government.
Categorical grants: The main source of federal aid to state and local
governments.
Project grants: Federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and
awarded on the basis of the merits of applications
Block grants: Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or
communities to support broad programs in areas such as community
development and social services.