Federalism

Another one of my favorite topics in Rocha's AP Government Class was Federalism. Federalism is when power is divided between the Federal Government and State Government. This is to create a strong central government, while avoiding that it controls the entire country. Federalism allows for the states to be independent while also creating unity among all states, because we are all still bound by the supremacy clause. The supremacy clause allows for states to make their own laws, as long as they don't interfere with the federal law. This is also know as federal law over state law.

Another type of federalism is cooperative federalism. This when federal, state and local levels work together to solve problems. For this reason, cooperative federalism is often referred to as "marble cake" federalism. An example of this could be providing healthcare to the poor. For this cause, federal, state, and local governments jointly fund, administer and determine eligibility for such programs.