Section 2 Questions: 10 points

1. Explain the difference between expressed, concurrent, and reserved powers. Give several examples of
each.
- Expressed Powers: Powers specifically granted to the national govt such as coining money and
making treaties with other countries
- Concurrent powers: Powers shared by national and state governments such as levying taxes and
establishing courts
- Reserved Powers: Powers reserved of the states such as overseeing public schools and regulating
business
a. What is one concurrent power of the federal and state government
One concurrent power of the federal and state governments is power to levy taxes and public
actions.
2. What are the benefits and drawbacks of a federal system?
The benefits of a federal system is that federalism protects our rights as individuals and against the
tyranny of the majority and promotes unity without imposing uniformity. The drawbacks of a federal
system is the lack of laws and policies from state to states.
3. According to the U.S. Constitution, the national government must guarantee that every state government
must have what type of structure?
According to the U.S. constitution every state government must have a republican type of structure.
4. How does federalism protect against tyranny of the majority?
Federalism protects against tyranny of the majority by dividing power between several units of
government.
Section 3 Questions: 10 points

1. Define the different stages of federalism and the key ingredients of each era. Including- block grants,
grants in aid, etc.
- A stage of federalism is also known as dual federalism which is a system with strict division of
powers by the national and state governments. Dual federalism is also called the layer cake
because of the responsibilities that the government has on that level. This era inside the case of
McCullock vs. Maryland (1819).
- Another era of federalism is Cooperative which is a system that shares powers between national,
state, and local governments. This era is the marble cake. Each part of the ingredient makes the
government better because it shares some responsibilities between them. The key ingredient was a
mixture of federal grants in aid which is basically funds given from the federal governments to
states and local governments in specific programs.
- Then there was a new federalism which was a system guided by returning power to the state and
local government. A key ingredient was block grants also known as devolution. Block grants are
funds given by the federal government to states without having any restrictions on what the
money should be used for.
2. President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs began a new era of national-state relations in the
1960s. Political scientists describe this era as one of???
Political scientists describe this era as one of dual federalism. Dual federalism is a system with strict
division between the state and national governments and considered as a layer cake.
 3. Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan both advocated a policy known as devolution. What was
this policy aimed at?
The devolution policy was aimed at shoving power back to the states by having citizens list their solutions
to problems.
Section 4 Questions: 5 points

1. What do state constitutions show about how power is distributed in our federal system?
State constitutions show how power is distributed in our federal system by having the state and national
government and having specific and responsibilities.
2. Describe the court system and what type of cases are heard at each level.
- First there are two types of court systemes. There are trial courts and appeals courts. Trial courts are cases
that are used in the daily lives of citizens. While appeals courts are cases that are requested to be reviewed
again and it involves interpretation of the law.
- In states there are municipal courts which are the lowest level and they deal with tickets, adoptions,
divorce, and other minor violations. Small claims courts are involved with money.
- Higher levels like superior, county, or district courts. These courts handle major crimes and lawsuits.

Section 5 Questions: 10 points

Describe each of the following organizations and the purpose of each local government system.
● Counties, parishes, & boroughs
States are divided into districts known as countries. Example of parishes is Louisiana, small landmass and
scattered populations that are divided which are called boroughs. The purpose of these countries was to
provide government services to rural residents. This system allowed people to have services such as roads,
law enforcement, courts, public assistance, etc.
● Mayor-council system
The mayor council system is the oldest form of city government. Voters get to elect both city and council
members and a mayor but depending on the city the mayor may have a weaker or stronger power. The
mayor is the chief executive and the counsel is the city lawmaking body.
● Commission system
The commission system is a form of city government that is led by a group of professional commissioners that
were elected by their skills. The commission system rebuilt the city on the higher groups and constructed a wall to
protect the citizens from hurricanes.
● Council- manager system
City government where an elected city council makes policy decisions but leaves the responsibility of
daily tasks to hire a city manager. This system allows citizens to vote their city council weekly, however
this system has a weak mayor. This system is combined with democratic rules and management expertise.
● Special-purpose districts
Form of government district that is created for epci