FEDERALISM, THE FIRST 215 YEARS 1

The Evolution of Federalism and How it has Shaped American Behavior as well as how State and Federal Relationships Influence our Policies
Steven M
Professor Tracy
POL110040VA016-1154-01 (US Government)
May 9th, 2015

FEDERALISM, THE FIRST 215 YEARS 2 Abstract
This paper will examine the evolution of Federalism from its’ beginnings to what we see in place today. Before we get to far though, let’s define Federalism. Longley (n.d.) stipulates that “Federalism is the process by which two or more governments share powers over the same geographic area.” For us in the states, this would be representative of the powers held by the Federal and State governments. We will also examine factors of Federalism that have shaped American behavior as well as covering how the relationships between the Federal Government and the states influences the foundation of American policies.

FEDERALISM, THE FIRST 215 YEARS 3

The Evolution of Federalism and how it has Shaped American Behavior as well as how State and Federal Relationships Influence our Policies Have you ever wondered what would have become of this country had our founding fathers not convened in Philadelphia? What form of government would be living under today? Would we still be under the Articles of Confederation? Would have the Civil War escalated sooner? Fortunately, these are only questions as our founding fathers did convene and were successful in framing