The framing of the U.S. Constitution was organized around the power of the national and state governments. The first national government formed by the colonists following independence in 1776 was the Articles of Confederation, which focused power at the state level giving little power to the national government. The problems experienced under the Articles of Confederation became evident soon afterward: no unified foreign policy, state governments working against one another when facing common concerns, and a lack of coordination among states and between the states and the central government. Adding to these concerns is that most of those attending the Constitutional Convention attended for the purpose of retaining the confederal system while addressing and fixing those factors that weakened it. James Madison worked with George Washington and Alexander Hamilton to shift the direction and purpose of the convention such that the final document, the U.S. Constitution, presented a federal structure. Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided and shared between the national, state, and local governments. This division of powers extends exclusive powers to the national government only (enumerated, also known as delegated), the state governments only (reserved), or to both (concurrent). Federalism is found throughout the U.S. Constitution. In the section that follows, specific powers relating to federalism found in the U.S. Constitution are presented and discussed. 2. Federal and state powers in the U.S. Constitution Article and Section in Explanation of Example of Power Type of Power the U.S. Constitution Power Article I, Section 4 States organize The national government sets the Concurrent (The Legislative elections although date for presidential and Branch; elections) the federal congressional elections; the states government may may determine the date for set national scheduling primaries standards Article I, Section 8 Congress, as the Core powers of Congress include: Enumerated or (The Legislative national delegated
The framing of the U.S. Constitution was organized around the power of the national and state governments. The first national government formed by the colonists following independence in 1776 was the Articles of Confederation, which focused power at the state level giving little power to the national government. The problems experienced under the Articles of Confederation became evident soon afterward: no unified foreign policy, state governments working against one another when facing common concerns, and a lack of coordination among states and between the states and the central government. Adding to these concerns is that most of those attending the Constitutional Convention attended for the purpose of retaining the confederal system while addressing and fixing those factors that weakened it. James Madison worked with George Washington and Alexander Hamilton to shift the direction and purpose of the convention such that the final document, the U.S. Constitution, presented a federal structure. Federalism is a system of government in which power is divided and shared between the national, state, and local governments. This division of powers extends exclusive powers to the national government only (enumerated, also known as delegated), the state governments only (reserved), or to both (concurrent). Federalism is found throughout the U.S. Constitution. In the section that follows, specific powers relating to federalism found in the U.S. Constitution are presented and discussed. 2. Federal and state powers in the U.S. Constitution Article and Section in the U.S. Constitution Explanation of Power Example of Power Type of Power Article I, Section 4 (The Legislative Branch; elections) States organize elections although the federal government may set national standards The national government sets the date for presidential and congressional elections; the states may determine the date for scheduling primaries Concurrent Article I, Section 8 (The Legislative Congress, as the national Core powers of Congress include: Enumerated or delegated
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