Federalism in the United States The USA has a federal system established by the Constitution of the USA.

It means that there are individual states, each with its government. And there is a federal or national government. Before the US Constitution was written, each American state was essentially sovereign ( the states were preexisting political entities) The US Constitution gives certain powers to the federal government, other powers to the state governments and yet other powers to both. For example, only the national government can print money, declare war, the states establish their own school systems and both the national and the state governments can collect taxes. In addition, the powers of the federal government as a whole are limited by the Constitution, which leaves a great deal of authority to the individual states. The states are subordinate to the national government in such areas as management of foreign affairs and regulation of interstate commerce. Also, federalism enables positive cooperation between state and national governments in programs pertaining to education, interstate highway construction, environmental protection and health, unemployment and social security concerns. Concluding, the federal government has certain expressed (also called enumerated powers), in addition, the so-called elastic clause gives the federal government the implied power to pass any law necessary and proper for the execution of its express powers. Powers that the Constitution do not delegate to the federal government or forbid to the sates, called reserved powers, are reserved to the people or the states. Each state has its own constitution. Like the national government, state governments are divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches. In each state there are state senators and representatives, state court systems and, like the President of the country, a governor of the state. Below the state level of government, there are city governments.