A Brief History of American Government essays

A Brief History of American Government essays Most Americans remembered and feared the harsh rule of the British king. It was cruel and unjust government. So, after the war the Articles of Confederation made it clear that the new government's power should not only be strong, but limited. It would prevent one man or one group from getting too much power. After the war, the people saw a need for a strong national government. At the same time, they did not want to take away all power from the states. This problem was solved by creating Federalism, which means that power is divided between the national government and the state governments. The people have the power to elect national and state officials. The national government has the power to deal with national issues. The states have the power over many local matters. As written in the Costitution, only the federal government can coin money or declare war. Also, it can regulate trade between states and with other countries. However, the states have the power over local governments and schools, to regulate trade within their borders, and they can decide who votes in state elections. Also, the Constitution says that powers not given to the federal government belong to the states. This happened to be a very useful law for the small states which fear federal government. Concurrent power s are shared by federal government and the states. It means that both can raise taxes, set up a system of courts, and the power to pass laws. In case of any dissagreements between the federal government and the states, the Constitution is the final authority. Also, to keep the government from becoming too powerful, the people came up with a new system called separation of powers. It meant creating three branches of government. Each branch would have its power. The first branch is called Legislative (Congress). It is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Under the Constitution, voters in each state elect members of the House of Repr...