Name: _______________
Due Date: _________
SS.7.C.3.4: Identify the relationship and division of power between the federal and state governments.
SS.7.C.3.4 Benchmark Clarification 1: Students will define the system of federalism.
Federalism is a system of government where power is shared between the central (national) government and the states. Under the
Articles of Confederation, a confederal system of government existed – which means that there was a weak central government. The
Articles of Confederation caused a lot of problems for the new nation because the central government had so little power, so a new
constitution was written. The United States Constitution is based on the idea of federalism – in other words, the idea that power is
shared between the national, state, and local governments. Federalism helped to fix many of the problems caused by the Articles of
Confederation by creating a balance between central (national) and state powers. According to the Constitution, powers are set
aside specifically for the national government (enumerated powers, also known as delegated powers), for state governments only
(reserved powers), or for both (concurrent powers).
SS.7.C.3.4 Benchmark Clarification 2: Students will analyze how federalism limits government power.
The U.S. Constitution was written because of concerns about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. The two major
weaknesses were:
1. The national government had very little power. There was a national Congress, but it did not have the power to tax the
people to raise money, or to raise a national army or navy.
2. Because there was no strong national government, the states could act as if they were independent nations. This meant
that the states could have independent relationships with other countries (such as making treaties or trade agreements).
They also got into arguments with other states (such as the use of rivers or lakes that bordered more than one state).
The Articles of Confederation did not encourage national unity (togetherness) or a sense of nationhood among the states. The U.S.
Constitution was written because the Founding Fathers wanted to solve these problems. The founders had a big goal. They needed
to limit state power (because the states had independent power under the Articles of Confederation), while at the same time
creating a national government with limited power. They created a system of federalism, where the national government had its
own powers, shared some powers with the states, and gave the states some of their own powers. For example, only the national
government has the power to raise and support armies (an enumerated/delegated power), but it is up to the states to decide
whether or not citizens must be registered to vote before an election day (a reserved power). Both the state and national
governments have the power to tax (a concurrent power). The most important thing to keep in mind about federalism is that it is
supposed to limit the power of the national government through sharing power with the states.
SS.7.C.3.4 Benchmark Clarification 3: Students will compare concurrent powers, enumerated powers, reserved powers, and
delegated powers as they relate to state and federal government.
Types of Powers Definitions
Concurrent
Concurrent powers are powers that are shared by the national and state governments. Examples of shared
Powers
powers are: The power to levy taxes (tax the people) and the ability to borrow money
Enumerated
Enumerated (delegated) powers are powers that are specifically listed in the Constitution for the national
Powers
government only. Examples of powers granted to the national government are: The power to raise and support
an army and navy, the power to coin money, and the power to declare war
Reserved
Reserved powers are powers that are given to the states by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This
Powers
amendment says that any power not specifically given to the national government is reserved for the states.
Examples of powers that belong to the states: The power to run elections and the power to set up and run
schools
Delegated
Delegated powers are the same as enumerated powers. They are powers that are specifically listed in the
Powers
Constitution for the national government only. Additional examples of powers granted to the national
government are: The power to regulate trade and business, the power to establish rules for naturalization of
immigrants, and the power to declare war
SS.7.C.3.4 Benchmark Clarification 4: Students will analyze the issues related to the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution was added as the last Amendment in the Bill of Rights. The Tenth Amendment says: “The
powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to it by the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people”. Because the writers of the Constitution were concerned about giving too much power to the
national government, they decided to list the specific powers for Congress (enumerated/delegated powers). When the necessary
and proper clause was added to the Constitution, it was so broad that it allowed Congress also to have many powers that were not
listed but were “necessary and proper” for Congress to uses its enumerated/delegated powers.
The Tenth Amendment does not list any specific powers. Instead, it broadly says that all powers not given to the national
government are reserved for the states and the people. This leaves the meaning of reserved powers open to interpretation in the
states. It is important to keep in mind that even though the Tenth Amendment reserves powers for the states, no state is allowed to
make laws or take actions that violate the Constitution. In the Constitution, this is called the Supremacy Clause. It means that the
Constitution is the “Supreme Law of the Land.”
Name: _______________
Due Date: _________
Vocabulary: define each word/phrase in your own words – complete sentences
Concurrent powers: _________________________________________________________________________________
Confederal system: __________________________________________________________________________________
Enumerated (Delegated) powers: ______________________________________________________________________
Federalism: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Reserved powers: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Articles of Confederation: ____________________________________________________________________________
Necessary & proper clause: ___________________________________________________________________________
Supremacy clause: __________________________________________________________________________________
Quiz: For each question, circle the best answer.
Low Complexity Question
Which is delegated to the national government?
A. Conducting elections
B. Establishing courts
C. Coining money
D. Taxing citizens
Moderate Complexity Question
Which statement describes a similarity between the state and
the federal governments under the U.S. Constitution?
A. Both levels of government allow for the election of
judges.
B. Both levels of government have the power to ratify
treaties.
C. Both levels of government allow for the collection of
taxes.
D. Both levels of government have the power to
appoint ambassadors.
High Complexity Question
The map below describes the number of people on death row
in the United States as of 2012.
Source: Adapted from the Death Penalty Information Center
What constitutional relationship does the map illustrate?
A. Enumerated Powers
B. Concurrent Powers
C. Delegated Powers
D. Reserved Powers
Hint: The correct answer should identify a power that is
delegated (assigned) to the federal government in Article I of
the U.S. Constitution.
Hint: Compare and contrast the enumerated and delegated
powers of the federal government with the reserved powers
of the states. The correct answer should identify a
concurrent power.
Hint: Read and analyze the map. Note that each state has a
different number of prisoners on death row, some states
have no prisoners on death row, and the federal government
has 60 prisoners on death row. The correct response should
identify the type of power (i.e., shared, state, or federal) that
the map illustrates.