Federalism and its Impact on the Socio-Political Landscape of USA

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of federalism in the United States, examining its historical context and its significance in shaping the nation's socio-political structure. The essay begins by defining federalism and its importance, then delves into the principles of the US Constitution. The essay discusses the historical events like the New Deal, Great Depression, and the Shays' Rebellion and how they influenced the development of federalism. The role of the Federalist Papers in shaping the understanding of federalism is also addressed. The essay concludes by summarizing the impact of federalism on the balance of power between national and state governments, highlighting its continuous evolution and its critical role in the US political system. References include the US Constitution, The Federalist Papers, and other relevant scholarly works to support the arguments presented.

Running head: GOVERNMENT
Government
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1GOVERNMENT
The concept of the Federalism is very much important for the development o the United
States Constitution. The term ‘federalism’ has not been properly used in the Constitution but it is
the heart of the power structure within the United States.
Federalism is related to the set of democratic rules that could be found in the balance of
power between the central and state governments. The democratic rules should be implemented
within the country and both national and state governments would provided with the power to
implement this at the need o the hour. The authors Alexander Hamilton and James Madison have
written the book The Federalist Papers and this book has become one of the epitomes of
American constitution (John, Hamilton and Madison: 24).
The political theories regarding this issue have been discussed by the authors and various
articles of the constitution have been analyzed properly by the authors. The context of the
federalism within the socio-political issue of United States has been quite critical. The ideas of
federalism have impacted on the socio-economic structures.
The historical events like the New Deal and Great Depression have taken place in the
United States previously. After these incidents, the policy of dual federalism has been changed to
that of associative federalism (John, Hamilton and Madison: 24). The movement of federalism
had come about regarding the common discontent of people about the Articles of Confederation.
This article’s purpose was to put a limit to the overall powers of the federal government within
the country (Wirls: 17). In the current times, the method of devolution is faced in the United
States. Through this method, the overall powers of the federal government are transferred among
the states. This type of federalism is also known to be the progressive federalism. The federal

2GOVERNMENT
government of USA can also reclaim its power by arranging some programs that are generally on
the responsibility of the states.
People of the American community did not adhere to this community since they wanted
the equal balance of power between the national and state governments. The Shays’ Rebellion in
the year 1785-86 showed a major rise of the famers in the western part of Massachusetts (Wirls:
17). This armed conflict proved the fact that American people were not ready to sit back and
watch the certain limitations to be put to the government. The economic condition of the country
was very poor so the Americans had revolted against that condition. They realized federalism
will improve the condition in the country.
The conclusion can be drawn by saying federalism has always been one of the major
developments in the socio-political aspects in United States. Though the term has never been
used, it has played a huge part in shaping the current US society.

3GOVERNMENT
References
Constitutionus.com. "Constitution Of The United States - We The People". Constitutionus.Com,
2020, https://constitutionus.com/.
Jay, John, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. The federalist papers. BoD–Books on
Demand, 2018.
Robertson, David Brian. Federalism and the Making of America. Routledge, 2017.
Wirls, Daniel. The Federalist Papers and Institutional Power in American Political
Development. Springer, 2015.