Federalism versus democracy: tensions and implications

Federalism

The history of the United States is bound up in the ongoing debate between federalism and anti-federalism; between a federal government that has a strong mandate vs. one that is relatively weak vs. The localized state governments. The original Articles of the Confederation established a central government so weak that it barely existed other than on paper. From the perspective of states' rights in issues like slavery and commerce, federalism seemed antithetical to the birth of the new nation as it wrested itself free from the tyranny of British monarchy.

However, the need for a stronger federal government became apparent quickly after Independence. Independence gave rise for the real need for a standing army, one that required federal funding, federal management, and federal mandate. Moreover, the new nation needed cohesive means by which to organize international trade and treaties. A strong federal government also became increasingly crucial in establishing a core national identity. Federalism helped create what can be called an organizational culture for the United States, or a core system of values that would determine what types of legislation would govern the new territories. The issue of slavery especially brought the federalism and anti-federalism debate to a heated head. A balance between the diversity of states' rights and the need for nationalism was enacted with the ratification of the United States Constitution.

As a sort of mission statement of the nation, the Constitution of the United States was heavily influenced by Federalist ideology. Federalism held that a looser confederacy led to a nation that was unstable due to too many conflicting need and interests. This was in fact true; but it was not until the slavery issue came to a head during the nineteenth century that Americans found out exactly how important a federal mandate would be. Federalism does in fact present a brilliant compromise between some types of autonomy at the state or provincial level and some types of cooperation or compromise. States are not bereft of power under a federalist system such as that which is protected by the American Constitution. On the contrary, the American Constitution preserves the rights of states to make certain types of decisions without deferring to the federal government. What those decisions are is outlined in the federal constitution, and only occasionally brought up for debate. For example, the right of a woman to bear or not to bear children came up for federal debate in Roe v. Wade. It was determined that the character of the United States is shaped more by values of freedom and the right to not reproduce than it is shaped by an imperative to bear an unwanted child. When slavery came up for debate, the states that vied for the rights to perpetuate the institution cried out against the powers of the federal government. Ultimately, the character of the nation was determined to be one of emancipation and liberation.