American Federalism and Nationalism: Sharing Power in a Vast Republic

Today we're tackling one of the most distinctive—and most confusing—features of American government: federalism. By the end of this lecture, you should be able to explain what federalism actually is, why it matters so much for how we're governed, weigh the strengths and weaknesses of national versus state power, trace how the relationship between Washington and the states has evolved over more than two centuries, identify the federalism fights we're having right now, and understand how federalism connects to something less tangible but just as important: American nationalism, our shared sense of what it means to belong to this country.