CHAPTER FOUR
Federalism and the U.S. Constitution

Explore

The official web site of the U.S. House of Representatives provides links to individual members' offices as well as committee and party leadership offices, and other links to dealing with business before the House.

The official web site of the U.S. Senate provides links to individual members' offices and committee offices as well as other links (including an interesting Art & History link).

The White House web site provides biographical information on key government figures, educational links about the executive branch and Executive Office of the President, and the latest news concerning the president.

The Supreme Court web site provides introductory information about the Court, along with past oral arguments, rules, a link to the docket, a link to decisions and written opinions of the court, as well as other key information.

This U.S. Department of State web site explains some of the most significant events in federalism in American history (to 1997). Events range from key court cases, to congressional actions, to historical events. Click on the Congressional Research Service report to read about the history of federal grants to states (Adobe Acrobat Reader needed). This link should provide excellent information for reports or a general understanding of how grants became so important in the relationships between the federal and state governments.

The National Conference of State Legislatures web site provides a wealth of information, from background on almost every current key public policy issue, to the history and structure of every state legislature, to news stories concerning key state and federal issues.

The U.S. Constitution Online provides a blow-by-blow history of each of the amendments to the Constitution.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union has since 1888 provided information connecting representative democracies' parliaments around the world. The "Parline" link provides a search option to find information on all parliaments that belong to the IPU.

The International Information Programs web site provides information on the structure of democratic governments generally, and how they differ from one another. The web site highlights the effects of concepts such as checks and balances, and representation, and it also discusses the differences between presidential systems and parliamentary systems.

KEEPING THE REPUBLIC

Constitutions lay out the rules that govern many of the power relationships in which we find ourselves-from the U.S. government to our state, city, and town governments, from our sororities, fraternities, and dorms, to neighborhoods and community groups, professional associations, and churches. A short, general rule for understanding who gets what in these relationships is: Know your constitutions.

• Find them and read them. It may take a bit of digging, but they are there to be found. (Sometimes they are called by-laws or charters.) Who is a member of the group, and who decides that? How is the power divided and transferred? What rights are guaranteed? How can the constitution be changed? Look for ambiguous wording, and consider whether the vagueness was intentional.
• Figure out the winners and losers. All constitutions inevitably give people more power and others less (like who sets the agenda, who can attend meetings, who can vote, who can hold office). Scrutinize the rules in the constitutions in your life for clues about whom they privilege.
• Make a change. If what you find out doesn’t seem right to you, find out what needs to be done to change it-and then do it. Start or join a grassroots movement to amend the U.S. Constitution, or that of your state, your city, or an organization to which you belong.