Tuesday

9.20.22

Learning Goals: Students will continue their study of coercive federalism

and how the federal government uses grants to influence state policy by
watching two videos and conducting discussion post responses. Students
will complete a textbook reading assignment on federalism and answer
the questions.
Content Standards:12.1.4. Explain how the Founding Fathers’ realistic
view of human nature led directly to the establishment of a constitutional
system that limited the power of the governors and the governed as
articulated in the Federalist Papers.12.7.1. Explain how conflicts between
levels of government and branches of government are resolved.
 Vocabulary Review (yesterday’s key terms)
Guess the word:
1. Type of federalism in which federal funds are allocated to lower
levels of government through grants.
2. This is when the feds use regulations, mandates, and conditions
to pressure states to change their policies to match federal goals.
3. An order from the the federal government to the state
governments telling them what they must do.
4. Funds given to states for specific purposes – they have “strings”
attached.
5. Funds given to states for specific policy areas, but within that
area the state decides how the money is spent.
 Guess the word:
1. Fiscal Federalism- Type of federalism in which federal funds
are allocated to lower levels of government through grants.
2. Coercive Federalism- This is when the feds use regulations,
mandates, and conditions to pressure states to change their
policies to match federal goals.
3. Mandate- An order from the the federal government to the
state governments telling them what they must do.
4. Categorical Grants- Funds given to states for specific purposes
– they have “strings” attached.
5. Block Grants-Funds given to states for specific policy areas, but
within that area the state decides how the money is spent.
• In this story, the state of Idaho is (Mandate) Video:
struggling with a federal mandate Wolves at Idaho’s Door
that says wolves, an endangered
species, must be reintroduced into the
state and managed by state
authorities.
• Let’s review our discussion post from
yesterday about this video:
• Discussion Prompt:
• Would you have made the decision
to re-introduce the wolves, even
over the state’s protests? Why or
why not?
• Table Discussion:
• How is this story an example of
coercive federalism?
 The Carrot and the Stick Approach (Coercive
Carrot
Federalism)
(incentives) The stick
Examples: (consequences)
Typically Examples:
money $ withdrawing
funding, federal
mandates, or
preemption

States
• Coercive federalism is sometimes called the carrot and the
stick approach. (Categorical grants)
• The feds will first offer a “carrot” (incentive) to the states Video: The Carrot and the
(usually money) to adopt a federal policy. Stick
• If that doesn’t work, Congress will sometimes resort to the
“stick” (withdrawal of funds, mandates, preemption) to
force the states to adopt a federal policy.
• This story involves federal efforts to impose a national
drunk driving standard of .08 blood alcohol level, by tying
the requirement that states declare a driver with a .08 BAL
as “legally drunk” in order to receive federal highway
categorical grant funds.
• This video highlights the state of South Carolina’s
resistance to changing their DUI laws to accommodate the
federal government’s demands.
While watching this clip jot down your thoughts on these
questions:
● What is the carrot offered to South Carolina?
● What is the stick offered to South Carolina?
● Which do you think is the preferable method? Why?
 Devolution
• Over the last 30 years, there are some who have felt the federal
government has interfered too much in the domain of the states, and as a
result, has become too big.
• This has led to devolution.
• This is effort to slow the growth of the federal government by
returning many functions to the states.
• Example - 1996 – Welfare Reform Act
• Returned control of welfare programs to the states.

Powers/
Responsibilities
● Create a visual timeline of dual and cooperative
federalism throughout the history of the United
States.
● You may use any medium (canva, Jamboard, Google
Slides, etc.) for your visual.
● See details in ekadence.