The National Government and the 50 States

Chapter 4, Section 2

The National Government’s Obligations

• Guarantee to every state in the Union a Republican form of government– Representative government

• Protect each of the states from invasion– An invasion on any state would be seen as an

attack on the United States

• Protect states from internal disorder (unrest among a state’s residents) when the state cannot control the situation itself

The National Government’s Obligations - Continued

• Respect and recognize the legal and physical boundaries of each state

• No state can be deprived of its equal representation in the U.S. Senate without its own consent

Adding New States

• Northwest Ordinance (1787) – provided for the statehood of any sector in the Northwest Territory with a population of at least 60,000– Local self-government– Civil and political rights– Support for education

• Only Congress has the power to admit new states to the Union– A new state cannot be created by taking territory

from one or more of the existing states without consent of the legislatures of the states involved

Adding New States

• Enabling Act – directs the people of a territory requesting statehood to frame a state constitution

• Act of Admission – If Congress approves statehood after reviewing a territory’s proposed constitution, they pass an Act of Admission creating the new state.– If the President signs the Act, the new state

enters the Union

Conditions for Admission

• Although Congress can set certain conditions for new states (i.e., outlawing polygamy in Utah), it cannot impost conditions of a political nature

• President Taft denied statehood to Arizona because we allowed the recall of judges (we can remove judges from office). Arizona removed the recall item from their constitution, became a state in 1912, and almost immediately amended their constitution to allow for the recall of judges

Cooperative Federalism

Cooperative Federalism

• Federalism produces a dual system of government

• Two basic levels of government operate over the same people at the same time– Examples: taxes (both federal and state)

• Federalism can lead to a complex relationship between the federal and state governments

Federal Grants-in-Aid

• Intergovernmental cooperation via grants-in-aid programs (money from the federal government to the states, cities, counties)– Grants help local governments perform everyday

functions (schools, colleges, roads, canals, flood control, etc.)

– More than 500 grants-in-aid programs in operation today, totaling about $300 billion (25% of all state and local government spending) each year

Federal Grants

• Categorical Grants– Made for a specific, closely-defined purpose (i.e.,

school lunches, construction of airports, water treatment plants, etc.)

– Usually made with strings (conditions) attached• Use the federal monies for the specific purpose

involved• States must make its own monetary contribution (often

matching but sometimes much less)• Provide an agency to administer the grant• Obey a set of guidelines

Federal Grants - Continued

• Block Grants– Used for much broader things such as health

care, social services, welfare, etc.– Fewer strings attached– State and local governments have greater

freedom in deciding how and on what to spend the grant money on

• Project Grants– States can apply for these grants for a variety of

reasons/uses

Other Ways the Federal Government Helps the States…

• FBI gives help to state and local police• The Army and Air Force equip and train

each state’s National Guard units• Census Bureau counts the population and

the data is used for state and local uses• How do states help?

– Conduct national elections financed with state and local funds

– Legal process for naturalization takes place in state courts