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Articles of Confederation (incr. State power)
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution to the United States, with many undeniable flaws. Under the articles, the states were still sovereign and independent of eachother and Congress served as a last resort to settle disputes. The central government lacked the stability to levy taxes and regulate commerce. The Articles of Confederation shows an increase in state power because federal government did not have enough central power to manage the states. However, the citizens sought -
Constitutional Convention (incr. Federal power)
Meeting in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, the Framers of the Constitution (though not all of them) met to discuss changes that needed to be made to the A of C and to create "a republican form of government." The Constitutional Convention--the Constitution which still exists came out of this convention--created an increase in federal power because it devised a plan for a stronger national government with three brances-- executive, legislative, and judicial--that guaranteed basic rights for its -
10th Amendment (incr. State power)
The tenth amendment, stating that "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people," means to increase state government power and reaffirm the nature of federalism, meaning separation of power. The "limited" federal government seemed to be getting to powerful, and to appease the anti-federalists who thought a strong central government was a bad idea, the Framers drafted the Bill of RI -
McCulloch v. Maryland (incr Federal power)
In McCulloch v. Maryland, Chief Justice John Marshall declared that the Constitution "has not left the right of Congress to employ the necessary means for the execution of the powers conferred on the Government to general reasoning." This case increased federal power because not only did it give Congress power to execute the enumerated powers, but it also rejected the states's argument. -
Gibbons v. Ogden (incr. Federal power)
The case increased federal power through Congress. The court, overseen by John Marshall, ruled that under Article I, Section 8, Congress had the power to regulate any aspect of commerce that crossed state lines, including modes of transportation. This case set the stage for future expansion of congressional power over commerce related laws and activities. -
Civil War (incr. Federal power)
The Civil War answered two questions: whether the United States was a dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a sovereign national government, and whether the nation would continue to exist with slavery. The Civil War created more federal power because the Northern victory preserved the United States and ended slavery--the main reason for the war. The federal government did not tolerate secession and fought for unity again, was able to rid themselves of the pa -
14th Amendment
The fourteenth amendment, stating that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States" were to be granted citizenship. This amendment increased federal power and authority over states, for it prohibited them from denying any person basic rights without due process of law. It greatly expanded the national government's jurisdiction to protect civil rights, including former slaves that had been recently freed. This amendment prevented states from taking advantage of its citizens (of African -
Plessy v. Ferguson (incr. State power)
This court case decision set the precedent that "separate" facilities for blacks and whites were constitutional as long as they were equal (which they almost never were). This court case decision increased state power by giving them the authority to create separate facilities--such as restaurants, restrooms, theaters, public schools, etc-- for whites and blacks and also to determine what was considered "equal". This was basically a contradiction to the 14th amendment that claimed that every one -
Pure Food and Drug Act (incr. Federal power)
The purpose of this act was to protect the public against adulteration of food and from products considered hazardous without scientific support. The act increased federal power, as it regulated what states could ship out and sell to citizens. President Theodore Roosevelt began the process by issuing the passage of the Meat Inspection Act, which was followed by the Pure Food and Drug Act. -
16th Amendment (incr. Federal power)
The sixteenth amendment allows the Federal government to collevt an income tax. This, obviously, increases federal power. Already able to levy taxes, the government is granted with another tax that they enforce over its citizens. The sixteenth amendment answers the question of hot to tax income and constitutionally so. With this amendment Congress could lay and collect taxes without the worry and bothersome apportionment among the states and population. -
Gitlow v. New York (incr. Federal power)
Benjamin Gitlow, along with Alan Larkin, was arrested by New York for publishing a radical newspaper called the 'Revolutionary Age,' in which they printed "The Left Wing Manifesto," which advocated a violent overthow of the US government. In this court case, the supreme courth rule that the Constitutions protection of free speech applied also to State governments. This court case increased federal power over the states by holding both the state government and the federal government to the same. -
The New Deal (incr. Federal power)
The New Deal, which was a series of programs drafted by President Frankin Roosevelt to try and stabilize the economy and provide jobs for those suffering during the Great Depression. This increased federal power by expanding the role of the government and changed its role in accordance to the US citizens. The government now had the power to regulate previous unregulated areas of commerce, such as banking, agriculture, and housing. -
Korematsu v. United States (incr. Federal power)
During WWII the US military issued an order that banned all person of Japanese ancestry from a designated coastal area, stretching from Washington to southern Arizona and set up internment camps to hold the captured Japanese Americans. In defiance, Fre Korematsur refused to leave his home. The court case accepted the US military's argument about where the loyalties of some of the Japanese Americans resided (not with America but with their ancestral country) and claimed that during "pressing publ -
Brown v. Board of Education (incr. Federal power)
This US court case unanimously held that racial segregation of children in public schools violated the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. This case put the Constitution on the side of racial equality and increased federal power as it took away the authority to segregate from the states and regulated (though did not eliminate) racism and found that "separate but equal" was never quite so, and therefore it was unconstitutional. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964 (incr. Federal power)
Congress passed this act prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race in hiring, promoting, and firing. This law increased federal power over states and regulated unfair business employment. This government authority was a necessary action toward guaranteeing equal treatment of every citizen, in every state, regardless of sex and race (though the sex part was added toward the end of signing the act into law). -
Roe v. Wade (incr. Federal power)
This court case made a state law that banned abortions unconstitutional, except to save the life of the mother. The case ruled that states were forbidden from regulating any aspect of abortion performed during the first trimester of pregnancy, and therefore increased federal power. During the time of this court case most states severely restricted or banned the practice of abortion. The federal government stepped in to protect this right of their citizens and claimed that the states had little a -
Election of Ronal Reagan (inc. Federal power)
During the time of Reagan's election, Republicans had become increasingly resistant to the "heavy hand" of government and seeked a more conservative system. His election marked another increase in federal power--lower inflation, reduced tax rates, less unemployment and a large GNP-- provided Reagan with a plethera of accomplishements and a renewal of national self-confidence during his first terms helped Reagan and Bush win a second term. The increase in federal power is because during this time -
Americans with Disabilities Act (incr. Federal power)
This act banning discrimination against people with disibilities in employment, transportation, public accomodation, communications, and governmental activities. It increased federal power by prohibiting state and local governments from turning away a disabled person in the job market and is yet another restriction that the federal government places on state and local ones to prevent them from taking advantage of its citizens. -
United States v. Lopez (incr. State power)
This court case stated that the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 qa too far of a stretch of federal government (specifically Congress) power under the commerce clause and marked an increase in state power. The incident, the Supreme Court held, had nothing to do with "commerce" and was an example of Congress exceeding the enumerated powers given to it. Bringing guns to school zones was to be handled by the affected state, not by Congress, and certainly not under the commerce clause. -
104th Congress (incr. State power)
Congress assembled in Washington after the 1994 elctions with a Republican majority in both the Senate and the House. One extremely significant even of the 104th Congress was the amendment to the habeas corupus statute enacted as a part of the 1996 antiterrorism legislation--rstriction federal review of state ciminal cases. This Congress increased state power and they took center state in some of the most controversial policy debates of this Congress, demanding that welfare, Medicais, and federa -
Printz v. United States (incr. State power)
This court established that Congress cannot make a state or local government implement federal regulatory programs, or do background checks on people that buy guns. This court case decreased federal power over states, therefore increasing state power to create its own regulatory programs, or not if it so desired. Congress may not direct state officials. The framers created a Constitution that gave Congress the power to regulate individuals, not States. -
9/11 (incr. Federal power)
During this national crisis, under command of George W. After this event, the federal government created more regulations to protect its citizens and met its own responsibilites to keep them safe. It seemed necessary at this time to issue a highly federalized offensive to protect its citizens. The Department of Homeland Security was created shortly after this event to combat against terrorizm (both local and foreign) and to prepare the nation so nothing like this happens again. -
Development of the Department of Homeland Secutiyy (incr. Federal power)
The Department of Homeland security increased federal power and was created a comprehensive national strategy to protect the country against terrorism and any future attacks on our nation. Homeland Secutiy greatly increased strength and authority of the federal government over its citizens, with programs that regulated travel and increased the national budget for military, weapons, etc.
