The national and state governments each have their own set of powers given by the Constitution. These granted powers are often questioned by either the national or state governments. When a state affair is brought up in court and the national government seeks to impose its granted powers, the representatives of the state will sometimes disagree and attempt to use its own granted powers to contradict the national government's rule.
The Constitution contains which powers are given to the two "governments".
The "delegated powers" of the national government are enumerated powers, (allowing the national government to declare war, conduct foreign relations, and coin money), the implied powers, giving the power to make fair laws, and the inherent powers, which give the power to acquire territory, and the power to quell insurrections.
The powers granted to the state government are called reserved powers. These are sometimes referred to as "police powers". Both state and national governments have shared powers known as concurrent powers. These include the power to tax, define crimes, and punish criminals. Either state or national powers may be denied to the other government.
Question: Why did the Framers of the Constitution give the state governments certain powers and the national government other powers?
Answer: "To prevent tyranny and ensure balance between the layers of government.
The Founding Fathers were most concerned with preventing tyranny and ensuring liberty when framing the constitution."
Let freedom ring!
ReplyDelete