Federalism in the United States

When studying U.S. History particularly, it's helpful for students to understand the differences between the powers of the governments that exist within a country. In this activity, students will create a T-Chart that compares and contrasts the powers of federal and state governments. While both governments are a part of the same country, it's very clear that not all of the states are governed the same from the state level. This power difference can be interesting for students to investigate.

Students should either choose or be assigned one of the fifty U.S states and compare the powers delegated to that state with those of the federal government. Students should represent three powers reserved to each of the respective governments. Listed below is a helpful reference to differentiate between some of the powers reserved to states and the federal government.

Powers Reserved for the Federal Government

• Coin Money
• Declare War
• Create Foreign Policy
• Admit New States to the Union
• Maintain Armed Forces
• Protect Copyrights and Patents
• Establish the Postal System
• Regulate Interstate Commerce

Powers Reserved for the States

• Create and Maintain Schools
• Regulate State Commerce
• Establish Local Governments
• 10th Amendment - "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Students Can Collaborate!

Teachers may wish for students to work together on this lesson which is possible with Storyboard That's Real Time Collaboration feature! With Real Time Collaboration, students can work on the same storyboard at the same time which is perfect for this lesson! As teachers know, collaborating on assignments allows students to think on a deeper level while increasing their communication and problem-solving skills. Collaboration can also help cut down on the time it takes to complete a storyboard. While there is no set limit to the number of users who can work on a storyboard at once, we recommend five users or fewer for optimal performance. All of our assignments default to individual. To make this lesson collaborative, teachers must enable collaboration for the assignment within the "Edit Assignment" tab.

Extended Activity

Students should either create an additional T-Chart, or add to the one from the activity that represents the differing laws between two states. Some of the potential topics for these laws:

• Driver's License Requirements
• Gambling Laws
• Religious Freedom Laws
• Abortion Laws
• Hunting Laws
• Drinking Age
• Drug Legality
• Firework Laws
• Helmet Laws

Student Instructions

Create a T Chart that compares and contrasts the powers of federal and state governments.

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. In one column, identify and describe the powers reserved for the Federal Government.
3. In the other column, do the same for powers reserved for the State Government.
4. Create an illustration to visualize each power using appropriate scenes, items, and characters.