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Constitutional Convention
Greatly increased the power of the national government when this convention created the Constitution of the United States of America -
Supremacy Clause
The Constitution of the United States has supremacy over state constitutions -
Elastic Clause
"The Congress shall have Power : To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof." Has been debated: such as Eisenhower's decision to build a national highway system that was "justified" by the elastic clause. -
10th Amendment
Provides that powers not granted to the Federal government are reserved to the states -
Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions
The resolutions argued that the states had the right and the duty to declare unconstitutional any acts of Congress that were not authorized by the Constitution. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
1.The Constitution grants to Congress implied powers for implementing the Constitution's express powers, in order to create a functional national government.
2.State action may not impede valid constitutional exercises of power by the Federal government. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Ruled that slaves were not protected by the Constitution of the United States -
Civil War
After the war's end, the national government gained new power especially in the Reconstruction effort -
Formation of Land Grant Colleges
The Morill Act of 1862 as well as the Morill Act of 1890 granted federally controlled land to the states for the states to develop or sell to raise funds to establish "land-grant" colleges. -
14th Amendment
Over-ruled the Dred Scott v. Sanford Supreme Court ruling that blacks are not considered U.S. citizens -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
It prohibits certain business activities that reduce competition in the marketplace, and requires the United States federal government to investigate and pursue trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of being in violation. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation of the schools by stating it's the states decision to decide on segregation -
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act is a United States federal law that provides federal inspection of meat products and forbids the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated food products and poisonous patent medicines.[ -
16th Amendment
Allows Congress to levy income taxes -
Hoke v. United States
Hoke v. United States was a decision by the Supreme Court which held that the United States Congress could not regulate prostitution as that was strictly the province of the states. -
Gitlow v. New York
The Supreme Court now holds that almost every provision of the Bill of Rights applies to both the federal government and the states. The Court upheld the state law challenged in Gitlow v. New York, which made it a crime to advocate the duty, need, or appropriateness of overthrowing government by force or violence. Made sure that the first amendment applied to states. -
New Deal
Franklin D. Roosevelt's programs severely increased the power of the national government by passing all his requests in the first 100 days of his presidency -
Korematsu v. United States
This was a Supreme Court case concerning the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, which ordered Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II. Proved to be constitutional. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Declared that state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Acted to enforce the constitutional right to vote, to deliberate jurisdiction upon district courts of the United States and to provide relief against publc discrimination -
Roe v. Wade
The Supreme Court ruled that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion, but that right must be balanced against the state's two legitimate interests for regulating abortions -
Election of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan increased the federal budget mainly in areas of national defense resulting in a triple in the national debt by 1988. -
Cabell v. Chavez-Salido
This was a case decided by the Supreme Court that upheld a state law as constitutional that excluded aliens from positions as probation officers. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Acted to establish a clear prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability -
Law Enforcement Assistance Act
The purpose is to enhance the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct electronic surveillance by requiring that telecommunications carriers and manufacturers of telecommunications equipment modify and design their equipment, facilities, and services to ensure that they have built-in surveillance capabilities, allowing federal agencies to monitor all telephone, broadband internet, and VoIP traffic in real-time. -
104th Congress
Shifted the responsibility to the states (devolution) for taxing and spending responsibilities from the Federal government to the states -
United States v. Lopez
Lopez was charged under Texas law with firearm possession on school premises. The next day, the state charges were dismissed after federal agents charged Lopez with violating a federal criminal statute, the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. The Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional because the Federal government failed to prove that there was a compelling national interest to have such a law. -
Printz v. United States
Printz v. United States was a United States Supreme Court ruling that established the unconstitutionality of certain interim provisions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act made an instant background check of "prohibited persons" which are convicted felons, fugitives from justice, unlawful aliens, and many others. Therefore, the national government need not provide background checks at all. -
September 11, 2001
The September 11 attacks forced America to create the Department of Homeland Security, wage war on Iraq and Affghanistan, and provide financial assistance to victims of the attacks -
No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools. -
Development of the Department of Homeland Security
Protects the United States from terrorist attacks, man-made disasters, and natural disasters. Has a budget of about 100 billion dollars.
