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    • Announcements Forum
    • What Are Some of the Strengths and Weaknesses of our Federal System?

      These include the following topics: the allocation of authority among different levels of government; the regulation of commerce; the balance of powers; dual federalism; shared federalism, the commerce clause and the increased power of the national government; the impact of Supreme Court decisions; the impact of the New Deal; political appointment versus popular election; proportional representation; direct citizen participation at the local, state, and national levels; judicial appointments versus popular elections; the relationship between state and local governments; and state control of electoral systems.
      • Introduction
      • Video (2:22) Page
      • Section 1: What Are the Major Differences between Unitary, Confederal, and Federal Systems of Government?
      • Video (4:08) Page
      • Review Questions (S1) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Question 3 Forum
      • Question 4 Forum
      • Section 2: Why Did the Framers Adopt a Federal System?
      • Video (4:11) Page
      • Review Questions (S2) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Question 3 Forum
      • Question 4 Forum
      • Section 3: How Does Our Federal System Reflect a Balance between a Confederal and a Unitary System?
      • Video (3:21) Page
      • Review Questions (S3) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 4: How Does the Constitution Balance the Roles of the National and State Governments?
      • Video (6:50) Page
      • Review Questions (S4) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 5: How Did the Powers of the National and State Governments Overlap under the Original Constitution, and How Has the Relationship Changed?
      • Video (9:26) Page
      • Review Questions (S5) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Question 3 Forum
      • Section 6: How Did the Concept of “Dual Federalism” and McCulloch v. Maryland Affect the Relationship between National and State Governments?
      • Video (9:19) Page
      • Review Questions (S6) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 7: How Does the Case of Cooley v. Board of Wardens (1852) Illustrate the Dual Federalism of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries?
      • Video (8:19) Page
      • Review Questions (S7) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 8: How Has the Supreme Court’s Changing Definition of the Commerce Clause Increased the Power of the National Government?
      • Video (6:56) Page
      • Review Questions (S8) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 9: What Caused the Change from Dual Federalism to a More Shared, Cooperative Federalism?
      • Video (7:35) Page
      • Review Questions (S9) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 10: How Did the New Deal Affect the Relationship between National and State Governments?
      • Video (7:15) Page
      • Review Questions (S10) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 11: How Was the Commerce Clause Used to Increase the Powers of Congress over the State Governments?
      • Video (4:22) Page
      • Review Questions (S11) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 12: What Steps Have Been Taken to Return Power to the States?
      • Video (8:09) Page
      • Review Questions (S12) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Question 3 Forum
      • Section 13: What Similarities and Differences Are There between the Executive Branches at National and State Levels?
      • Video (5:12) Page
      • Review Questions (S13) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 14: What Are Some Similarities and Differences between the Legislative Branches at National and State Levels?
      • Video (4:42) Page
      • Review Questions (S14) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Question 3 Forum
      • Section 15: What Opportunities Are There for Direct Citizen Participation at State Levels That Are Not Available at the National Level?
      • Video (8:35) Page
      • Review Questions (S15) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 16: What Are Some Similarities and Differences between the Judicial Systems at National and State Levels?
      • Video (5:00) Page
      • Review Questions (S16) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 17: What Is the Relationship between State and Local Government?
      • Video (5:02) Page
      • Review Questions (S17) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 18: What Control Do States Have over Their Electoral Systems?
      • Video (7:20) Page
      • Review Questions (S18) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Section 19: What Are Some of the Differences between Federal Systems in the United States and Other Countries?
      • Video (9:39) Page
      • Review Questions (S19) Quiz
      • Discussion and research questions
      • Question 1 Forum
      • Question 2 Forum
      • Question 3 Forum
      • Question 4 Forum
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