Powers Of The Federal Government example essay topic

Federalism was selected as the most appealing system of government in 1787, primarily because of lack of feasible alternatives. Confederacy had been tried by the 13 states under the Articles of Confederation, and found to be lacking, in that it did not provide adequate cohesiveness between the individual nation-states. However, widespread loyalty to state government and identity prevented the adoption of a fully unitary system. Instead, founders chose federalism as a moderate option which could best meet the needs of a people desiring national unity, but demanding local representation and authority as well. Further consideration revealed the multiple benefits of a federalist system. Federalism provides a significant obstacle for absolutism.

The various levels of government and their allotted capabilities provide firewalls against the rapid spread of extremism and radical political mutation. The national government has the ability to check such a transformation as it moves from state to state. Each comprises a separate entity, which can be influenced independently of its neighbors. On the flip side, if a certain political party is ousted from the national government, it is still likely to carry support on the state level, preventing ideological annihilation. Thus the capacity for tyranny is curbed no matter where it originates. Federalism supports union without destroying state identity.

Issues can be debated on a state level, before they are addressed on a national scale. Local proceedings affect the position which state legislators take on a national scale. Not all states or parties must be in agreement on the national level, and the conclusions reached by individual states can be compared as they relate to the nation as a whole. With federalism, the results of policies enacted on a state level can be examined before being applied on a nationwide scale. This allows states the opportunity to pioneer reform and to take steps in desired directions ahead of the remainder of the country. Again, federalism provides a firewall affect, by limiting the destructive potential of original legislation.

If the experiment goes awry, its negative impact is limited to the parent state. Successful enterprises can be readily inspected and adopted by other states as they see fit. Solutions to nationwide issues can be tested on the state level before being designed to operate on a larger scale. Federalism also breaks the government up into various levels of decision-making, providing a variety of opportunities for people to become involved. This structure helps to keep the government close to home, and within the grasp of the populace. Active participation in a variety of functions is encouraged by the proximity of people to their local dilemmas.

Having the means to change their immediate surroundings empowers the general public. Federalism was the most logical selection in 1787, and it still serves the purposes of a modern world. For the most part the system has been successful in preserving what it was meant to safeguard, although some side effects have arisen along the way. None have been too difficult to overcome or at least minimize, although soon it may be time to reevaluate some of those characteristics as they become more prominent. Nevertheless, it seems our founding fathers made a commendable judgment on what form of system would best suit the American people.

Question # 4: How interest groups lead to greater inequalities among Americans... (or "The Prostitution of Democracy") The level of influence able to be obtained by unelected interest groups through political strong-arming has been a concern since the birth of our nation. Although entangled with the financial sustenance of our current system, the relationships between government representatives and adamant wealthy constituents should certainly come under at least some degree of scrutiny. If we allow legislative votes to be bought by the highest bidder or the strongest financial supporter, than do we not thoroughly defeat the objectives of democracy? Do we not in fact jeopardize the integrity of our strongest political convictions? We most certainly do. And once we allow such methods to take roost in our capitol, they thoroughly ingrain themselves in the vitality of our system.

Gone unchecked, such practices could easily become the ruin of true democratic representation, and transform our government into a vehicle for economic maneuvering and social persecution. We can see these tendencies manifest on a growing scale in the role that certain lobbying practices play in our system today. Specific interest groups usually represent a minute percentage of the population. However, since such groups are focused on specific issues, they may be able to focus large quantities of resources towards the favorable resolution of their issues. They aim to sway legislators by means of a variety of tactics, regardless of more popular opinion. Money, influence, and media are their greatest lures.

These lures were practically handed to them (or just never taken away) by the very same people who will be consuming them. But that's how this game is played. More general interest groups, often more closely tied to the interests of the general populace, often have far fewer resources at their disposal. This makes for a very unbalanced arrangement. The more focused, better organized, and more deeply financed factions have greater leverage for making demands, than those which are less narrowly aimed. They often have deeper connections and are more closely tied to the political ambitions of their legislators.

Interest groups with enough money are fully capable of swaying public opinion about representatives through limitless indirect advertising and mudslinging. The tinkering of interest groups plays a significant role in elections and has succeeded in diminishing electoral competition. Any representative who wants to stay in office had better hear out the money laden legislation pushers waiting outside the door. If he listens close and does what he's told he can expect to stay on the inside for a long time. The interests of lower-income people are not represented to near the extent that the richer, better organized classes are able to achieve. By allowing money and political connections to play such a large role in lobbying, we basically assure that it will continue to be very difficult for lower classes to drive their issues very successfully, or even to increase proportionate representation in either legislature.

Of course that's just fine as far as the rich guys are concerned. They can get more done this way. By allowing a system where legislators are at the financial and influential mercy of whoever's paying, we basically sanction forms of bribery and blackmail as far as I can tell. Loyalty can be bought, or extorted from legislators, and if they don't cooperate, they probably won't be back next term. How's that for stakes? "Do what I say and I'll give you money for your campaign, otherwise I'll spend ten times as much airing commercials that will tear it to shreds".

Sound like a bargain? The over representation of small fractions of the privileged few, and the under representation of the less fortunate multitudes obviously contribute to, if not personify many social inequalities in America. Legislation is slanted, representation is slanted, and publication is slanted, all in the favor of the rich and powerful, and once again at the expense of the poor and undereducated. The Federalist and anti federalist were two distinct political parties, which at the time when our nation was at its infancy (fed era 1788-1800), did not agree with each other on certain issues. One of those issues being whether or not to create a national bank. To understand which party is for the bank we must look at their different backgrounds first.

The Federalists party believed in a large highly centralized government, while the Anti- federalists believed in a small govt. with a limited power. The interpretation of the constitution was also different. Federalists believed in a loose interpretation with enumerated as well as implied powers. Enumerated powers meaning specifically written in the constitution and implied meaning suggested powers. The anti federalist believed in a strict interpretation of the constitution with only enumerated powers, therefore limiting the governments powers, thus giving the states more powers. The main people involved in this debate in whether to have a national bank or not were Madison, Jefferson, and Hamilton.

Hamilton, who represented the federalist, wanted the national bank because he thought that the bank would help build our national credit. Madison, representing the anti-federalists, had argued that because the constitution did not specifically empower Congress to issue charters of incorporation, it had no right to do so. However Hamilton answered back by saying that the constitution empowered the government to do anything "necessary and proper" to carry out its assigned functions. This power that Hamilton referred to was known in the constitution as the "Elastic Clause" (Art. I sec. 8 Clause 18).

Furthermore, the federal govt was allowed to coin money and regulate the value of it. Therefore the feds also argued that since the govt. already had all these enumerated power why not create a bank. These arguments stated by both Hamilton and Madison are an example of strict and loose interpretations of the constitution. Alexander Hamilton was the man who proposed an economic plan to pay off the national debt. As the Secretary of Treasure, his job was to set in order the nations finances and to put the nation's economy on a firm footing. Hamilton said to pay off this debt the government had to issue new bonds to cover the old ones.

James Madison's objections to this was that the government should pay the original bond holders and not the new holders. Hamilton also purposed that there be one bank for the whole country. Jefferson condemned the bank because he said that the north would make more money than the south and that the south would suffer. Also Jefferson said that this was unconstitutional. The Government then had a tariff or a tax on imported goods produced in Europe.

But this was not enough for Hamilton so he decided to put a excise tax or a sales tax on whiskey. The whiskey rebellion was the cause of these tariffs. Hamilton was still out to get money to pay off the National debt so he went to the wealthy people of the country and asked them for money. The assumption of state debts would give the creditors or the people who originally loaned the money, an incentive to support the new federal government. This made the people in the south furious because some of the southern states had already paid of most of there debts.

Southerners also resented this because they thought that the would be taxed to help pay the north's assumption of state debts. Most of these false sayings came from people called speculators or people that didn't know what was going on in the government. The elastic clause gave the government a right to jail or fine the speculators for about almost anything they said about the government. When Jefferson was not the president he had a strict interpretation which mint that he took everything word for word. but once he was elected to be president he practiced a loose interpretation.

During the early republic era, distinct individuals contributed to coercing the power the of United Sates federal government to become stronger. These people were George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Marshall. The achievements of all these people include the establishment of the powers of the Federal Government. The founding father of our country is George Washington.

This man was the first president of the United States. At that time there was a revolt that led to the Whiskey Rebellion. The Whiskey Rebellion included Hamilton's plan in which a tariff was placed on whiskey to exclude the National debt. (The United States was in National debt at this time because of the expenses of the American Revolution.) Washington used the militia to enforce this tax on Whiskey. This was the solution in Hamilton's plan. Using the enforcement of the militia proved the government could end civil insurrection and compel federal laws the people listen.

Therefore, Washington established more power to the central government. Alexander Hamilton was George Washington's Secretary of the Treasury. He believed in loose construction, which was interpreting the constitution loosely and the belief in implied powers. Hamilton was the founder and leader of the political party called the Federalists.

He is famous for his plan called Hamilton's plan which incorporated a national bank, excised a tax on Whiskey, reduced the national debt, and established a strong central government to run the economy. These examples increased the powers of the federal government. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court during the late 1700's was John Marshall. Like Hamilton, Marshall was also a Federalist.

During his Regime, he had a major impact on the Federal government. Marshall judged three Supreme Court cases. They were Marbury versus Madison, Mccullough versus Maryland, and Gibbons versus Ogden. These cases instituted a judicial review, strengthened the judicial branch, created a national bank, and distended the definition of state commerce.

Thus, the powers of the Federal Government were established. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Marshall were the keys in opening the gate of the creation of a strong central government and the expansion of Federal Powers. For the first few years of Constitutional government, under the leadership of George Washington, there was a unity, commonly called Federalism that even James Madison (the future architect of the Republican Party) acknowledged in describing the Republican form of government -- ' And according to the degree of pleasure and pride we feel in being republicans, ought to be our zeal in cherishing the spirit and supporting the character of Federalists. ' Although legislators had serious differences of.