Federalism in America: Analysis of State and Federal Roles

This homework assignment delves into the concept of federalism in the United States, exploring the division of power between state and federal governments. The paper defines federalism, outlining its key features, such as the distinct jurisdictions of different government levels and the limitations on federal authority over state powers. It then examines how federalism allows states to experiment with policies, acting as "laboratories of democracy," and discusses the role of local governments, including their authority over taxation, education, and social services. The assignment uses the debate surrounding marijuana legalization as a case study, analyzing the conflict between state and federal governments on this issue. The student uses an article from the New York Times to illustrate the opposing viewpoints and concludes that while federalism has strengths, it can also create confusion and division, as seen in the marijuana legalization debate. The assignment includes a bibliography citing the news article used for analysis.

Running head: FEDERALISM IN AMERICA
FEDERALISM IN AMERICA
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

1
FEDERALISM IN AMERICA
Answer to question 1:
Federalism refers to the system where power is shared between the independent states or
territories and the national government. Amongst its main features, some include:
 Different levels of government with each level having own jurisdiction
 Federal government does not have the authority to take powers reserved to the states
 In federalism, no one government has the power to change the fundamental provisions of
the constitution
Answer to question 2:
Owing to federalism, states have the sovereignty and the litheness to try out with laws,
policies and programs they feel might best serve the people. When any particular policy,
program or laws implemented by the states find success, those are used as model by other states.
Later, after elaborate analysis, the federal government can also enact it to the entire nation. In
this way, federalism gives states the power to serve or act as “laboratories of democracy”.
Answer to question 3:
The state governments form local governments, which are also, bestowed certain
autonomy by the state governments in terms of making laws. The chief role of the local
governments is to look after the problems faced by people in the towns and cities, counties and
special districts. They have the authority to make laws regarding taxation, education,
transportation and social services amongst others.
The banning of smoking by the Philadelphia government in all public places including
offices has affected the daily lives of the people in a positive way. Another local law that has

2
FEDERALISM IN AMERICA
affected daily life is the law passed by the New York City where a certain amount of fee was
attached to the use of plastic bags that positively affected the environment.
Answer to question 4:
The debate surrounding the legalization of marijuana has put the state and federal
government on the opposite sides of the spectrum. Last year, many states conducted a voting to
understand the support for the drug’s legalization and after the win of the liberals in this voting,
marijuana has been declared legal for medicinal or recreational purpose. However, the federal
government has refused to consider marijuana as a legal drug and continued its crackdown.
Considering both the sides, it can be said that the state governments have a better stance than the
federal government because majority of people have supported legalizing marijuana.
Current Events Report Forums:
Nytimes.com (2018). States Keep Saying Yes to Marijuana Use. Now Comes the Federal No..
[online] Nytimes.com. Available at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/15/us/politics/marijuana-laws-state-federal.html
[Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].
Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/15/us/politics/marijuana-laws-state-
federal.html
In the article, the writer has highlighted the status on the debate regarding the legalization
of marijuana in the United States. The debate has become the reason behind the state and federal

3
FEDERALISM IN AMERICA
government locking horns with each other. While the national vote last year is viewed as win for
the conservatives, the liberals are also celebrating their win in eight states in favor of legalizing
marijuana for medicinal and recreational purpose. The federal government however seems to
remain unchanged in its decision to keep the ban on the drug. The article has included accounts
of both the parties where the federal officials have been seen comparing marijuana to heroin
while the state government officials are seen criticizing the decision.
The conflict between the federal government and the state government, as studied in the
reading could be applied to the current news article. As understood from the reading, amongst
the many characteristics of federalism, one is that the federal government possesses more power
than the state governments. Further, the reading also helped understand that the federal
government and the state government both have limited powers upon each other. Nonetheless,
the federal government has the power to regulate interstate trades, declare war and coin money,
appoint or dismiss the ambassadors and other top officials, which the state governments do not
have. In case of legalizing marijuana hence, the federal government has more power than the
state governments and that is the reason why marijuana is still illegal in the country despite the
consent from eight different states.
After analyzing the state of American politics from both the reading and the news article,
it is evident that federalism is a complicate form of government that needs extensive research
and study. On one hand, the American federalism has praiseworthy features that make it one of
the best governments in the world but on the other, it creates confusion and chaos on several
issues. The recent events like the issue of legalizing the marijuana has brought to the surface, the
problems with the country’s politics. It has rather divided the country’s politics into two camps,
those against legalization and those in favor of it.

4
FEDERALISM IN AMERICA
Bibliography:
Nytimes.com (2018). States Keep Saying Yes to Marijuana Use. Now Comes the Federal No..
[online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/15/us/politics/marijuana-
laws-state-federal.html [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].