AP Government Federalism Timeline - Jace Clemmer: Blue - Increased State Power, Red - Increased Federal Power
By jc2000
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Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the original document outlining the structure of the government in the United States. It was later replaced by the Constitution. It gave increased power to the States and had a weak central government. -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787 and resulted in the Constitution and its replacement of the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution provided a new structure for the government of the United States. This new government provided an increase in federal powers compared to the government provided by the Articles of Confederation. -
Commerce Clause
The Commerce Clause is located in Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution, and gives congress the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. The federal government has stretched this clause in order to justify the use of many different powers, such as regulating things that they consider to be related to interstate commerce. The Gibbons V. Ogden case was a primary example of this. This clause being in the Constitution led to a significant increase in federal power. -
Supremacy Clause
The Supremacy Clause is located in Article 6, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution and makes the federal government supreme over the state governments. It states the federal laws are "the supreme law of the land," therefore making the federal government more powerful than the states. This led to an increase in federal power, especially when compared to the government under the Articles of Confederation. -
Necessary and Proper Clause
The Necessary and Proper Clause is found in Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the United States Constitution. It gives congress the power to make all laws that are considered "necessary and proper" to execute their enumerated powers. This clause caused a significant increase in Federal Power. -
10th Amendment
The 10th Amendment gives powers that are not delegated to the federal government to the States, as long as they are not restricted. The increases the power of the states by providing them with powers that they otherwise may not have. It also can be seen as limiting the power of the national government, since it delegates powers to the states. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
In 1819, James McCulloch refused to pay a tax levied on the Bank of the United States by the state of Maryland. This led to a debate over state and federal power. The Supreme Court made two important decision during this case. The first was that the national government had the power to establish a national bank. The second was that since the national government is supreme, the bank could not be taxed by the states. Overall, these decisions show an increase in federal power. -
Gibbons V. Ogden
In 1824, a lawsuit between Thomas Gibbons and Aaron Ogden led to a debate between which level of government had the power to regulate interstate commerce. The supreme court decided that the Constitution's commerce clause gives the national government exclusive power to regulate interstate commerce. Since it was decided that the power was exclusive to the federal government, this case led to an increase in federal power. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
This case dealt with whether or not African Americans were considered citizens and whether or not they could sue in federal court. The supreme court decided that African Americans were not citizens and therefore could not sue in court regardless of whether they were free or slaves. This supported the policies of the states regarding slavery, therefore increasing state power. -
Civil War
The Civil war lasted from April 12, 1861 – May 9, 1865 and was fought over many reasons, including slavery and the conflict between state and federal powers. After the war the states that had seceded were put into military districts and had their power limited. Therefore, the civil war represented an increase in federal power. -
14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment provides all people born or naturalized in the United States Citizenship and equal protection of the laws. This amendment increased federal power over state power by giving citizenship to all people. This was against what some states wanted and therefore limited their power. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The Sherman Anti-Trust Act outlawed monopolistic business practices. This was the first federal act to outlaw this, therefore increasing the amount of regulation the federal government had on businesses. This increase in regulation, shows an increase in federal power. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Plessy v. Ferguson case debated the constitutionality of racial segregation and "separate but equal" facilities. The Supreme Court determined that segregation was legal under the state laws. The support that this decision gave to state laws led to an increase in state power. Eventually other court cases changed many of the decisions and outcomes from this case. -
16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment gives the federal government the power to collect an income tax. This increases the power of the federal government. -
Glitlow v. New York
In 1925, Glitlow was arrested because he advocated for socialism, which was against policies in New York. The trial led to a debate over if the Bill of Rights was incorporated into state constitutions. The Supreme Court decided that the first amendment applied to the states. This is an example of selective incorporation, where some federal rights apply to the states. Since it was determined that federal rights apply to the states, this can be viewed as an increase in federal power. -
The New Deal
The New Deal consisted of many programs and projects put in place by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression. These programs were put in place by the federal government and aimed to help Americans to recover during the Great Depression. Because these programs were run through the federal government, the new deal shows an increase in federal power. -
Korematsu v. United States
This case dealt with the constitutionality of Japanese internment camps during World War II. The Supreme Court sided with the federal government and determined that the executive order that created the camps was legal. Because the decision supported the federal executive order it increased federal power. -
Brown v. Board of Education
From 1952 to 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education case dealt with the racial segregation of children in public schools. The supreme court unanimously decided that the segregation of children was unconstitutional. This decision went against the policies of many states and eventually required these states to change their school systems. This decision also increased the federal regulation of schools, therefore increasing federal power. -
United States v. Lopez
Alfonso Lopez was found guilty of violating the Gun Free School Zones Act when he brought a firearm onto school property. After his conviction, he challenged the constitutionality of the law. Congress had justified the passage of this law through the use of the commerce clause. The supreme Court determined that the commerce clause did not permit the regulation of matter not directly related to interstate commerce. This decision limited federal powers, therefore increasing state powers. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. This went against the policies of some states and also transferred the regulation of discrimination away from the states and towards the federal government. Therefore, the act caused an increase in federal power. -
Roe v. Wade
This case dealt with the constitutionality of laws regarding abortion and restricting access to abortion. The supreme Court determined that women have the right to make a decision regarding abortion, but that this right must be balanced against the state's interests in regulating abortions. This gives the states the power to regulate abortion laws, therefore increasing state power. -
Election of Ronald Reagan
Following the Election of Ronald Reagan, he enacted his plan of "New Federalism." This plan was created to cut taxes, decrease spending and reduce the control the federal government had over the states. Therefore, the election of Ronald Reagan led to an increase in state powers. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the areas of employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications, and government programs and services. This act went against some policies that states had in place and therefore increases the power of the federal government. -
104th Congress
The 104th Congress met during Clinton presidency. Conflict occurred between the President and Congress, which eventually led to a government shutdown. During this congress, many changes were made that decreased the number of restrictions and requirements on grants given to the states. This gave the states more control over the money they were given, therefore increasing state power. This act of congress increased devolution, or the movement of powers from the federal government to the states. -
Printz v. United States
On November 30, 1993, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act was signed into law. It required that local police conduct background checks on all gun purchasers. Sheriffs Jay Printz and Richard Mack challenged the constitutionality of the act. The Supreme Court determined that the law violated the Tenth Amendment by requiring state governments to follow a federal regulatory program. Since regulations were removed from the states, this case lead to an increase in state power.
