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Constitutional Convention ( Federal power)
Meeting in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, the Framers of the Constitution (though not all of them) met to discuss changes that needed to be made to the A of C and to create "a republican form of government." The Constitutional Convention--the Constitution which still exists came out of this convention--created an increase in federal power because it devised a plan for a stronger national government with three branches, executive, legislative, and judicial that guaranteed basic rights . -
10th Amendment (State power)
the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people," means to increase state government power and reaffirm the nature of federalism, meaning separation of power. The "limited" federal government seemed to be getting to powerful, and to appease the anti-federalists who thought a strong central government was a bad idea, the Framers drafted the Bill of Rights. -
McCulloch v. Maryland(Federal Power)
Chief Justice John Marshall declared that the Constitution "has not left the right of Congress to employ the necessary means for the execution of the powers conferred on the Government to general reasoning." This case increased federal power because not only did it give Congress power to execute the enumerated powers, but it also rejected the states's argument.The first major Supreme Court decision to define the relationship between the national and state governments. -
Gibbons v. Ogden(Federal Power)
The case increased federal power through Congress. The court, overseen by John Marshall, ruled that under Article I, Section 8, Congress had the power to regulate any aspect of commerce that crossed state lines, including modes of transportation. This case set the stage for future expansion of congressional power over commerce related laws and activities. -
14th Amendment(Federal Power)
All persons born or naturalized in the United States" were to be granted citizenship. This amendment increased federal power and authority over states, for it prohibited them from denying any person basic rights without due process of law. It greatly expanded the national government's jurisdiction to protect civil rights, including former slaves that had been recently freed. This amendment prevented states from taking advantage of its citizens of African American. -
Plessy v. Ferguson(States Power)
This court case decision set the precedent that "separate" facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were equal (which they almost never were). This court case decision increased state power by giving them the authority to create separate facilities such as restaurants, restrooms, theaters, public schools, etc. For whites and blacks and also to determine what was considered "equal". This was basically a contradiction to the 14th amendment that claimed that every one. -
16th Amendment (Federal power)
The sixteenth amendment allows the Federal government to collect an income tax. This, obviously, increases federal power. Already able to levy taxes, the government is granted with another tax that they enforce over its citizens. The sixteenth amendment answers the question of hot to tax income and constitutionally so. With this amendment Congress could lay and collect taxes without the worry and bothersome apportionment among the states and population. -
Gitlow vs New York ( Federal power)
Benjamin Gitlow, along with Alan Larkin, was arrested by New York for publishing a radical newspaper called the 'Revolutionary Age,' in which they printed "The Left Wing Manifesto," which advocated a violent overthrow of the US government. In this court case, the supreme court rule that the Constitutions protection of free speech applied also to State governments. This court case increased federal power over the states by holding both the state government and the federal government to the same.
