8.2.7

Describe the principles of federalism, dual sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, the nature and purpose of majority rule, and the ways in which the American idea of constitutionalism preserves individual rights.
             Federalism is the sharing of power between federal and state governments. States are Countries with federal political networks in which tow levels of government and governments based in ineffectual political units. These ineffectual political units surrender some of their political force to the central government, relying on it to act for the common good. In a federal system, both the state and a central government makes the laws. In the American federal system, authority is divide to the states and the national government. This division of power helps curb abuses by either the national or the state governments. Dual Sovereignty, states that because the pairs, Federals and States have discrete laws, and because any entity that has laws is sovereign. Both the Federals and States are equal in every way and so they have “dual sovereignty” Separation of Powers is when the powers were split into three branches of government. By distributing the essential enterprise of government among three separate but complementary branches, the Constitutional Framers democratic that the principal powers of the government, legislative, executive and judicial. These were not concentrated in the hands of any single branch. Earmarking governmental authority among three separate branches also obviated the formation of a too strong a national government to do have irresistible the individual state’s government. The Separation of Powers, by whichever the executive, legislative, and judicial branches are to be alone and not transgress upon each other’s rights and duties, is one of the central dogma in the US Constitution. Checks and Balances, Nevertheless, governmental powers and responsibilities  purposely extension. For example, congressional authority to enact laws can be checked by an executive veto, which in turn can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in both houses; the President serves as commander-in-chief, but only the Congress has the authority to raise and support an army, and to declare war; the President has the power to appoint all federal judges, ambassadors, and other high government officials, but all appointments must be affirmed by the Senate; and the Supreme Court has final authority to strike down both legislative and presidential acts as unconstitutional. This balancing of power is intended to ensure that no one branch grows too powerful and dominates the national government. Majority rule is the only way a republican government can function, and the only way a people's voice can be expressed to effect a practicable control of government, is through a process in which the majority makes decisions. This is not a perfect way of controlling government, but the alternatives--decisions made by a minority, or by one person--are even worse and are the source of great evil. To be just, majority decisions must be in the best interest of all the people, not just one faction. Preserves Individual Rights, the constitution of the United States, materializes the principle that out of many incongruously peoples, that one national society can be fabricated. The Founders wanted unity and stability. But they also wanted to surety the rights and liberties of states and individuals by compensate power among individuals, states, and the national government. The emanate is a system of shared functions designed to stop anyone factor from getting too much authoritative.


More Information:

   1.    http://www.closeup.org/federal.htm
          This site tells you about the New Federalism.

   2.    http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeffcont.htm
          This site discusses governments and allows you to find quotations from Thomas Jefferson.

   3.    http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/ea/side/checks.html
          This site tells you about the checks and balances the three branches have.

   4.    http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/crsrepor/federal.htm#intro
          This site discusses different types of federalism.


Recommended Books:

   1.    1787
          by J. Anderson

   2.    It's Our World, Too!
          by S. Banfields

   3.    Plessy v. Ferguson
          by Ruderman and Fauver

   4.    Shh! We're Writing the Constitution
          by J. Fritz

   5.    The Constitution of the United States
          by J. Madison

   6.    The Courage of Their Convictions
          by Peter Irons

   7.    The Creation of the American Republic 1776-1787
          by G. S. Wood

   8.    Fifty-Five Fathers: The Story of the Constitutional Convention
          by S.R. Williams