Federalism
Federalism is a form of government that allows for a ruler to lead the nation, but also for several smaller governments to rule different states or territories so that no single person has too much power and the country is stronger and organized more easily. To explain, the leader of the U.S. is the president. The U.S. has 50 states, each of which has its own governor who leads the state. Within the state, each town or city has a mayor. So, the government is spread from high level to lower in order to keep things in better control.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE 1: Each of the 50 states has its own state constitution, which is the law of that area. However, these state constitutions still must abide by the national (federal) constitution, which is the law for the entire country. People have to follow both the laws of their states and the United States' laws.
MORE REAL LIFE EXAMPLES: Airport security is not federalism, since only the federal government does it. An example would be the freeways. They are owned and operated by the states, but the federal government sets down some basic guidelines that all states must follow and also provides funding. One example is split, that would be taxes. There are both state and federal taxes, because both the state and the head of the country need to collect money to keep things running smoothly, however federal government does not regulate state taxes.
To learn more about Federalism, click here, here, or here.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE 1: Each of the 50 states has its own state constitution, which is the law of that area. However, these state constitutions still must abide by the national (federal) constitution, which is the law for the entire country. People have to follow both the laws of their states and the United States' laws.
MORE REAL LIFE EXAMPLES: Airport security is not federalism, since only the federal government does it. An example would be the freeways. They are owned and operated by the states, but the federal government sets down some basic guidelines that all states must follow and also provides funding. One example is split, that would be taxes. There are both state and federal taxes, because both the state and the head of the country need to collect money to keep things running smoothly, however federal government does not regulate state taxes.
To learn more about Federalism, click here, here, or here.