Federalism: Political System With A Strong Federal Government

Federalism- Political system with a strong federal government. At the time of the writing of the constitution, there was a debate about the level of government control over the states, and the people who were in support of having a strong central government were called federalists. People who wanted more state power and less central government, were called anti-federalists.
Separation of Powers- A political model where the government duties are split into separate branches. In the United States, there are three; judicial, executive, and legislative. This is important to create a more stable democracy, without too much power in a few peoples’ hands.
Checks and Balances- A system put in place in the United States that gives each branch …show more content…
Talks about the different rights of the people and the responsibility of the gov’t. Republic vs. Democracy- A Republic is a system where electorates elect a representative to make decisions for them, and a democracy is where all of the citizens make direct decisions about the country. The United States has to be a republic due to it’s size. A direct democracy does not work well unless there is a small population. Having a direct democracy in the US would be very inefficient Inalienable Rights/Natural Rights- These are rights that are given based off of the belief that no person can have these rights taken away because they are human rights, or god gave the rights to them. Basic framework and reason why the US split from Britain, and the main principles in the bill of rights.
Declaration of Independence- The document that stated that the colonies were now separate from Britain, and now had their own government. The document also stated some rights that the people had. Started the big American adventure that has led us to where we are …show more content…
It is important to preserve the liberties and rights granted in the constitution.
Elastic Clause- Stated that congress has powers not directly stated in the constitution. This means that they can pass laws to give them certain powers that fit a particular situation not thought of at the time of the constitution.
Implied vs. Enumerated Powers- Enumerated powers are ones directly stated in the constitution, and implied are ones that are given through the Elastic Clause. Preserves the sense of a free nation.
Judicial Review- The power of the Supreme Court to declare laws passed unconstitutional and have them repealed. This is a part of the Judicial checks on the legislative branch.
Habeas Corpus- Used by higher courts to declare a decision made by a lower court as unfair. Furthermore, the higher courts review the decision, and can keep appealing up to the Supreme