Teaching about Federalism in the United States
World History

Teaching about Federalism in the United States


Teaching about Federalism in the United States. This is an essay which gives educators ideas for teaching about the historical roots of American Federalism. This is another excellent resource from the ERIC system.

From the site:

The principle of American federalism, created in the eighteenth century, was bold and has greatly affected U.S. history. Its influence continues today. During the late 1780s the debates over ratification of the Constitution by Federalists and Anti-Federalists shaped controversies concerning the rights and powers of states in relation to the federal government.

The ideas stated in the "Federalist" papers are at the core of civic culture in the United States and serve as a reference for citizens in other democratic nations of the world. The 15th through the 22nd "Federalist" papers, for example, discuss the defects of the Articles of Confederation, the federal system that preceded ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The 39th "Federalist" paper shows that federalism provided by the U.S. Constitution is a compound system that conjoins national and state powers. Other papers in the "Federalist" that are especially helpful in explaining federalism in the United States include the 10th, 14th, 45th, and 51st.

The balance of power between national and state governments and consequent changes in federalism have evolved in U.S. history. National government power generally has expanded over state power through Supreme Court decisions, constitutional amendments, executive orders, and federal statutes. Nineteenth century states' rights proponents exemplify reactions to a stronger national government. Twentieth century influences concerning the growth of national government power within the federal system were initiated by events associated with two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War, and civil rights movements. From the Nixon to the Reagan-Bush administrations, however, "New Federalism" sought to return power to the states.




- James Madison
James Madison. This is a decent biography of American President James Monroe. He is known for his work with the Federalist Papers and his presidency during the War of 1812. From the site: James Madison (March 16, 1751 - June 28, 1836) was the fourth...

- Wikinfo - Federalist Papers
Wikinfo - Federalist Papers. This is a small entry on the Federalist Papers at Wikinfo. If yu are interested in this topic, I would encoruage you to stop by and add to it. From the site: The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles, first published...

- Teaching The Bill Of Rights
Teaching the Bill of Rights. This paper presents a brief history of the American Bill of Rights with ideas for presenting the topic in the classroom. From the site: The two-hundredth anniversary of the federal Bill of Rights in 1991 is the culmination...

- Teaching America's Founding Documents.
Teaching America's Founding Documents. This essay presents idea for how to teach about documents like to US Constitition and the Declarartion of Independence. From the site: Great ideas about law, government, and the rights of individuals marked the...

- Education On The U.s. Constitution.
Education on the U.S. Constitution. Many American students know nothing about the U.S. Constitution. This essay endeavors to do somethign about it. From the site: The United States of America, a comparatively young country, has the world's oldest...



World History








.