Federalism, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties When discussing the fundamentals of the United States, federalism, civil rights, and liberties are important topics to discuss. Federalism or the division of power between the federal and state levels of government is deeply embedded in the U.S. Constitution (Liberty University, 2022). Civil rights, on the other hand, were not necessarily originally embedded in the U.S. Constitution, however, they were fought for, added, and amended along the way to ensure the promises of the U.S. Constitution and the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness apply to all people (Liberty University, 2022). Unlike civil rights, civil liberties were originally embedded in the U.S. Constitution to safeguard …show more content…
As a result, they might be more likely to back unfunded mandates to ensure that all states follow federal rules, even if it means using force. Civil Rights There are pros and cons to having Congress, which is an elected body, make decisions about civil rights. One of the benefits is that Congress represents the will of the people through their elected officials. This gives the policymaking process democratic authority. This lets voters hold representatives directly responsible for their decisions about civil liberties problems during elections (Kernell & Smith, 2019). Furthermore, Congress can change civil liberties laws to reflect shifting societal norms and preferences, which reflect the changing values of the population. However, there are also bad things about letting Congress make decisions about human liberties. Poverty and polarization in politics can make it hard to make decisions, which can cause gridlock or put party goals ahead of people's rights. This is a big worry. Also, the legislative process can be slow and complicated, which makes it hard to act quickly when new civil rights problems or crises arise (Kernell & Smith,