This post is in response to the question “Why is federalism important to our nation's government and structure?”( @newtonquach/week-08-questions-reclaiming-federalism-to-sustain-a-divided-nation) by
Origins of Federalism in the United States
The United States was founded upon the desire to move away from a centralized power into a system that works for the people and Federalism was the proposed method to accomplish this through. The original governing documents of the United States laid a foundation for Federalism, or the dispersion of power between different levels of government, by giving state and national governments different responsibilities and rights in order to decrease the amount of power one section of government could hold.
Byproducts of Federalism
Federalism is the reason that the United States is structured in terms of both states and a national government (The Founders, 2021). This unique co-existence of state and federal power has been extremely important to the changes made to the United States government throughout the years.
One of the best examples of Federalism seen throughout the United States is the ability, given by the 10th Amendment, for states to pass laws about issues not directly under Federal control (The Founders, 2021). This ability has allowed innovation to occur throughout parts of the United States faster than if the Federal Government was solely in charge of regulating laws for citizens. This can be seen in the examples of child labor laws and women’s voting rights as both were legalized in certain states before becoming adopted and protected under Federal law (Advantages, n.d.).
Additionally, Federalism allows citizens to be more involved in governments as there are more opportunities through different positions on local, state, and national stages (Advantages, n.d.).
Conclusion
Overall, I believe that Federalism is important to the United States because it is a founding principle of our legislative system and is the reason why the government is structured in the way we see it today. This ultimately means that the impact of Federalism is felt by every citizen of the United States in some way, making it important historically and currently.
Works Cited
The Founders and Federalism. (2021). American Government Online Textbook. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://www.ushistory.org/gov/3a.asp
Advantages and Disadvantages of Federalism | American Government. (n.d.). Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-monroecc-americangovernment/chapter/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-federalism/