4.2 Timeline

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    Dual Federalism

    This was a type of federalism that followed the beliefs that both the state and national governments were equal authorities that had separate spheres of influence. A supporter of this type of federalism was John Marshall, the Supreme Court Chief Justice at the time.
  • McCulloch v. Maryland

    McCulloch v. Maryland
    In 1816, Congress created the Second Bank of the United States. Following this, Mayland passed a second law that allowed them to tax the bank. James W. McCulloch refused to pay this tax. It was decided that because the bank was instated by the national government, Maryland did not have the power to tax it. Therefore, McCulloch won the case.
  • The Doctrine of Secession

    The Doctrine of Secession
    This was a document created in 1832 that gave parts of a country the right to separate from that country if they were being unjust to their people.
  • Doctrine of Nullification

    Doctrine of Nullification
    This was a document that gave the United States citizens the power to nullify a law that they considered extremely unjust.
  • Reconstruction Amendments

    Reconstruction Amendments
    This was the name given to the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution. They aimed to reconstruct America after it was torn apart by the Civil War.
  • Interstate Commerce Act

    Interstate Commerce Act
    The Interstate Commerce act was an act that was passed by Congress in an attempt to regulate federal commission. It was designed to regulate the railroad monopoly that was occuring at the time.
  • Sherman Antitrust Act

    Sherman Antitrust Act
    This was an act that aimed to limit the power of cartels and monopolies. This was a type of antitrust law.
  • United States v. E.C. Knight Co.

    United States v. E.C. Knight Co.
    This was a court case in which the E.C. Knight Co. sued the United States government over the passing of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The E.C. Knight Co. won the case because it was decided that although the act was Constitutional, it should not have applied to their company.
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    The New Deal

    The New Deal was the name given to everything that Franklin Roosevelt did to help end the Great Depression during his presidency. This consisted of a series of experimental programs and projects. This falls under cooperative federalism.
  • The Great Society Program

    The Great Society Program
    This was a series of initiatives led by Lyndon B. Johnson that aimed to eliminate poverty and improving social equality. This fell under creative federalism.
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    New Federalism

    This type of federalism was based on the beliefs that national spending should be decreased, and that returning power to the states would be beneficial for the government.
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    The Reagan Years

    The Reagan Years was the period of time where Ronald Reagan was president of the United States. During his two terms, Reagan stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national defense.
  • Contract with America

    Contract with America
    This was a document released by the Republican Party that pledged to reduce the size and power of the national government by eliminating costly federal programs and by combining others. The republicans also aimed to review federal spending. This also focused on the idea of returning power to the states, a term known as devolution.