The Founders needed to create a unified nation from thirteen independent states while protecting the individual rights of citizens from an all-powerful...

In the United States, the ________________ government has some special powers over all citizens, the states have certain powers reserved for them, and the two share some powers.

_____________________________ are shared by the federal government and the states, and each level of government exercises these powers independently.

Powers prohibited to any level of the government, such as granting titles of nobility, are called

The ______________________ clause, from Article VI of the Constitution, requires that no state law or state constitution may conflict with any form of national law, and this clause extends to local government as well.

If a territory wishes to become a state, Congress must pass an ________________________, allowing the people of a territory to prepare a Constitution.

Federal __________________ are taxes collected by the federal government across the 50 states and redistributed to states and localities if they are willing to meet certain conditions.

Congress also influences states through ______________________, or acts limiting a state’s ability to regulate an area. Through preemption, the national government enacts laws that allow the national government to assume responsibility for a state government function.

In the landmark case of  _____________________________, the Supreme Court ruled that when the national government and a state government come into conflict, the national government is supreme.

Over the years, the Court’s view has shifted between giving more power to the national government and giving more power to ________________ governments.

Why do states regulate business within their borders?

How do states participate in the health, education, and welfare of their citizens?

Why do laws, regulations, criminal codes, and budget priorities differ among the fifty states?

What prevents a person who commits a crime in one state from being safe from prosecution in another?

What part does the national government play in settling lawsuits between states?

This is a course of action that the government settles on and states and localities often serve as the proving ground.

this is a provision that sets an automatic end date for a law and forces lawmakers to review it before continuing.

This system helps to lessen the risk that one political party will control politics at all levels of government.

This is the position generally favored by conservatives or Republicans that holds that local government is closer to the people and better reflects the needs of citizens.

This system provides opportunities at all levels of government for American citizens to influence public policy.