Sharing Power

Sort federal, state, and shared powers, and connect them to states' rights.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 32

The delegates faced a puzzle. States wanted to go on governing themselves, but the nation needed a stronger government. Their answer was the federal system.
Federal powers belong to the national government. These are things that affect the whole country, like printing money, declaring war, and making treaties.
State powers stay with the states. Georgia runs its public schools, gives out driver's licenses, and runs its elections.
Shared powers belong to both. Both can collect taxes, set up courts, and make laws.
How much power should states have? Americans have argued over that from the start. You'll see this argument again when we reach the Civil War.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

SS4CG1.c — The federal system of government in the U.S. (federal powers, state powers, and shared powers)
SS4H2.b — Evaluate the major issues debated at the Constitutional Convention: the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the rights of states to govern themselves (federal system), the Great Compromise, and slavery (Three-Fifths Compromise).