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Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation gave power to the states, because states had more power of taxation. The states had power to tax, not congress. -
Necessary and Proper Clause
The necessary and proper clause gave more power to the federal government because it gave them power to make and pass laws in order to support the constitution. This is significant because the federal government may come to abuse this power. -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention was pre-constitution which changed the powers of Articles of Confederation. This took power from the states and gave it to the federal government. -
10th Amendment
The 10th amendment gives back to the states because powers not given in the Constitution are to be assumed and given to the states. This gives them some freedoms from the federal government. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
The eventual ruling of the court case was the need for a national bank. This was seen as a win for the federal government because they could then regulate interstate currency which also effects the trade between the states. -
Gibbons v. Ogden
The case was overall in favor of the federal government because it gave the United States power to control interstate commerce. This makes the states have less power to control what goes on between the states. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
The court case ruled that slaves were not considered citizens in slave states even if they were free in a different state. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the states, giving them the choice to be a free or slave state. -
Civil War
The federal government had an overall win by creating a full country again. Although the states created Jim Crow laws and were still, for a lack of better words, going behind the federal governments back. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment gives power to the federal government. The amendment takes state powers away because of how it prevents them from taking power from the people. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act helped control regulations of foods throughout the country. This would be seen as a boost in federal power. -
16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment gave the federal government more power by giving them control of taxation of the states. This directly relates back to the main problem of the Articles of Confederation. -
Gitlow v. New York
The case was an extension on the 1st amendment saying that the constitution protects the states rights of the freedoms listed in the first amendment. The states had gained power from this. -
The New Deal
The New Deal developed the idea of public reforms to help with the nations recovery after the Great Depression. This helped out with federal power due to the fact that these reforms were government regulated -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
This moment in history would boost federalism because it mandated that all states must outlaw discrimination based on race, religion, etc. This is a step back for anti-federalists because it takes away their freedoms of choosing between being a free or slave state. -
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the United States, saying that they prohibit privately owned businesses from discriminating. This gives the national government a larger amount of power. -
Roe v. Wade
In this case, they used the constitution to support the liberties of a woman who needed an abortion. This helping the federal government to gain even more power because it takes the choice away from the state. -
Election of Ronald Reagan
Reagan had many goals in his presidency such as reducing taxes, regulation, and government spending. This is a significant change in the power that the federal government holds because he is expressing his ability to regulate these things. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
This is a federal law that prohibited people from discriminating against those with disabilities. Because of it being a federal legislation, it creates a rise in federal power. -
Planned Parenthood v. Casey
The ruling of this case generally speaking just helped back the ruling of Roe v. Wade. By doing this, once again, it takes away from the states their power to ban abortions which in turn makes the federal government stronger. -
104th Congress
President Clinton at the time had vetoed many bills that were attempting to regulate more funding on a federal level rather than leaving it to the states. He wanted power to go back to the states in order to practice devolution. -
United States v. Lopez
The ruling of this case was that the federal government had abused the power of the commerce clause when passing Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. This ruling indirectly favored the states because it drew the powers of the federal government back a bit. -
Printz v. United States
The final ruling if this case was overall stated that an act created in the state had been deemed unconstitutional under the 10th amendment. Power here goes to the national government. -
September 11th, 2001
The events of 9/11 had resulted in tighter airport security as well as overall national security. By doing this, the government strengthened powers of the federal government. -
No Child Left Behind
No Child Left Behind gave the government the power to regulate standardized testing in order to benefit education. This increased federal power. -
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act made it more affordable to get health insurance and helps regulate it. This increases federal power. -
Conclusion
In today's society, federalism has evidently become more and more powerful. One of the main goals of federalism was to have a separation of powers and while that still remains, some may not be as equal as the framers intended. This leaves us with the question: Is the federal government becoming too controlling? Is this what is best for American society in the 21st century?