Welcome to Mia Civic Center, your channel for all your... needs. I'm Caroline!
Oh, we have a special match for you this week. Here at the plaza, for one night only
(or until you finish the first series of lessons), we have the Federalism Championship!
Two colossus long-time democratic contenders will battle it out for the direction of the nation!
In the right corner, coming in at 246 years old, quick to the draw,
ready with minimum militia, never scared of a redcoat, is states' rights! These fighters come
strapped with a strict interpretation of the Constitution. That's right,
here for the little guy (well, not always), is states' rights. Better yet, reserved rights.
In the left corner, coming in at 235 years old, backed by the Supremacy Clause,
three branches of government, and a guy they call the president, is federal power!
These fighters come strapped with a loose interpretation of the Constitution,
enforcing those rights hopefully, and expressing that power undoubtedly
with a heavy hand but a light touch, the federal government is necessary and proper. Stay tuned
for all the latest on how each side's corner is training for the final 12 rounds! Yeahhh!
After today's lesson, you should be able to define and explain the importance of federalism,
as well as look ahead at Unit 3. And from the looks of things, it's going to be an exciting one!
Before we can analyze all the preparation that goes into these
epic battles between a strict interpretation and
a loose interpretation of the Constitution, we need to think about where we have been.
Let's review. In the last unit, we introduced some key principles
of American government. These principles tell us the way the government should work.
We use them to interpret and determine the direction of our nation.
These principles influence the creation of numerous founding documents,
such as the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. and state constitutions, and the Bill of Rights.
But as we saw, the revolution started in 1776 continues to this day. You remember the first
showdown? The federalists and the anti-federalists disagreed about the meaning of the Constitution
and the appropriate balance of power between state and federal government.
These arguments help define the topic of our next unit. But first...
In this unit, just like a prize fighter, or a top athlete, or a committed adventurer,
we want to stop after each section for a "Show What You Know," a section where we will pause
to see if we have picked up the knowledge we need to keep going. I'll ask a few questions, you pause
the video and try to answer them. The answers can be found in whichever section of the video
we previously covered. So if you get stuck, jump back and re-watch that section. Let's try it out.
Welcome to the first "Show What You Know"! Grab a pen and paper,
and write down the answers to these questions. What was introduced in the last unit?
Why are they important? What do the federalists and anti-federalists disagree about?
Those key political principles we learned about in Unit 2 informed the Framers on how to design
the government. Let's consider our match between a strict and loose interpretation. The Constitution
guarantees and empowers both levels of government. Why? What might this competition accomplish?
Having two sides fight it out over the direction of society in fact helps to limit government in
general, because it prevents an over-regulation of society. Remember, limited government is a
key principle. This competition is the core idea in federalism, or a federal system.
Word alert! "Federalism" refers to a system of government in which power is distributed
between a supreme federal government that is limited by the reserved powers of the states.
Time for another "Show What You Know"! Why is it important to have competing levels of government?
What is federalism?
Federalism makes government in America very complicated,
like a small fist causing a large impact! My point is that all these different branches and levels
of government kind of collide. This collision has to be worked out. So our boxing metaphor
is not just for fun, but it also helps us explain what to expect in Unit 3.
Each contender is like a level of government. The federal government is designed in the same way.
There are three branches, and each branch has further divisions.
On the other side, we have states with reserved rights.
But those state governments are also divided. Each executive agency or department, legislative house,
and judicial jurisdiction is meant to carry different powers and carry out certain duties.
In Unit 3, we will detail each level in terms of its branches,
structures, and powers and look at how they relate to one another. Make sure you explore
the PDFs for further insight into the different types of federalism used to direct society.
So maybe you're not into boxing, or you generally try to avoid conflict.
Usually a wise decision, but democratic debate is the cornerstone of American government.
As we saw in Unit 2, just to get the Constitution ratified, two sides had to battle it out in an
epic war waged over the course of almost a year. Pitted brother against brother,
turned statesman into foes, and led to a... popular Broadway play! Sounds dramatic,
but really, it was just the birth of the first two political parties in American history
and the creation of the Bill of Rights, which gave us reserved rights and has us poised for Unit 3.
As we proceed into Unit 3, we'll look closer at our two contenders, but first, we should recap.
Today we defined federalism, and finally, we briefly covered what to expect in Unit 3,
which centers on the struggle for authority between federal and state governments.
I don't know about you, but I'm on the edge of my seat! Next time, we dive into federalism, but
that's all for us today. You can put your dukes down now. Fighters, back to your corners!
Tune in tomorrow night for a deep dive into our contenders.
Have a great rest of your day, and remember, vote, debate, and participate!