Federalism And The Existence Of Civilized Society

Federalism essay What is government? Government is defined as the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states. Both in the past and in the present, it is quite lucid that government is essential and necessary to the existence of civilized society. One incontrovertible question remains though, what government benefits society more, a strong centralized and federal government, or one who’s power mostly resides in the states? Throughout U.S. History, those in power have propagated a mix of both, often making it ambiguous in nature the powers, privileges, duties , and responsibilities the Constitution grants to the national government. Over time, these

The first time period in which federalism was brought about was the Pre-Federalism Period, which took place form 1775 to 1789. It was at this time, when colonists were breaking away from the British Crown in an attempt to establish their own independence. Looking to form their own national identity, they would soon draft their own national government established by the Articles Of Confederation. In 1777, a year after delegates to the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, a new document was in the making, with hopes to alter the structure and function of the newly formed U.S Government. This draft was known as the Articles of Confederation, and made it clear the founding fathers were wary of an overbearing central government. This resulted in the colonists forming a confederation or “League Of States” that was more centered around the states, rather than the central government. If American History were to stop at this point, it would be safe to say Anti-Federalists were victors in the fight against Federalists. Nothing could be farther from the truth though, as soon after the drafting of the

During this period, national and state governments were each dominant in their own political spheres and often failed to collaborate in harmony. Following the disastrous Shay’s Rebellion, a constitutional convention met in Philadelphia to discuss the drafting of a new constitution. In this new constitution the central government would be given more powers than were granted to them by the Articles Of Confederation. It was at this point, where one would say the Federalists were victors as a new constitution, one that advocated a stronger central government, was ratified. Although Federalists had won the battle, the Anti-Federalists still had a few reasons to celebrate. A couple years later, in 1791, the first ten amendments- the Bill of Rights, were added to the constitution following ratification by 3/4 of the states. These Bill of Rights laid the foundation for states rights, and ensured that all power not granted to the central government were essentially reserved for the states. In essence, this was a victory in defeat for the Anti-Federalists. Although the constitution was ratified and the central government reigned as the supreme governmental body, the state governments were still given protection and fair