Lesson

What is a Federal Republic?

Duration: 80 min
Published: Nov 5, 2020

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention embraced the difficult duty of crafting a government that appropriately distributed the power between the national government and the states. For the Founders, the principle of federalism was a means of protecting liberty by limiting and dividing government power. This lesson explores the principle of federalism, how it is constructed in the Constitution, and the relationship between national and state powers.

Founding Principles

Federalism, Limited Government, Representative / Republican Government, Separation of Powers

Virtues

Justice, Respect, Responsibility, Self-Governance

Objectives

Students will identify powers belonging to the national government, state government, and shared by both.
Students will understand Article I, Section 8 and the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.
Students will understand Federalist and Anti-Federalist views of the power-sharing relationship between the national government and the states.
Students will analyze current events in the context of federalism. Evaluate issues and determine if they would be best dealt with at the national level, state level, or neither.