Federalism has always been a problem for the United States since we were declared a nation 228 years ago. Federalism involves two or more governments governing the citizens of a country. A decentralized government is where states govern the people, while a centralized government is where there is a national government that governs all states. Each leaves little power to the other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Articles of Confederation left behind many examples of how the United States began with a decentralized government. He made sure to leave almost no power to the central government. In fact, one article states that states have supremacy within their borders over government rule. The national government could only coordinate, not control. Another problem with the Articles of Confederation was that the national government did not have the power to tax the states, which would lead to many problems with future technology. The Articles of Confederation were also very difficult to change. Each state had one vote in congress, regardless of population, and a change to the Articles of Confederation would only pass if the votes were unanimous. If any of the 13 states had a difference of opinion, it could prevent any law from passing. After much trouble, the founders of the United States drafted the Constitution, after being influenced by the two social contract theories (one that says people work together and agree, and the other that says government can be replaced ), and the idea of ​​dividing the government into three separate branches. To solve the problem of the states as supreme government, they asserted that the Constitution was supreme, so that national laws were above state laws. When they saw a problem in how it was nearly impossible to create new laws, they created the system of checks and balances. When amending the Constitution, it can be approved with the approval of the amendment by 2/3 of Congress and 3/4 of the state legislature. In the Articles of Confederation, the amendment could never have passed because a state would not accept the amendment. Additionally, they gave Congress the powers listed in Article I of the Constitution, which gave Congress the power to tax, correcting the error in the Articles of Confederation. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now .Get a custom essay Many people believe that federalism is still a problem even today. An example of this is when welfare was created. Since the Great Depression, the national government had funded Social Security, Medicaid, and other programs that served those in need who could not survive without them. However, the Supreme Court interpreted that welfare would be paid for by the states. One of the reasons why those who argue that welfare was being transferred to be paid for by the states was the reputation that the people receiving welfare had gained. Some examples of characteristics associated with welfare would be women pregnant out of wedlock using the funds and those fathers not paying child support may cause mothers to go elsewhere for money. But what should be the government's responsibility? state or national? The government pays for almost all other worthwhile programs (which cost tens of billions each year), while welfare only costs about 2 billion each year (welfare costs with all states combined). This question makes the.