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Basic Constitutional Concepts
The Advantages of Federalism
What are the advantages of a federal system of government? Here are
some that are commonly mentioned:
(1) Federalism enables States or peoples who differ a good deal from
one another or have different backgrounds to join together for common
benefits, without some of the States or groups being required to obey
unquestioningly whatever the largest State or group orders. In this sense,
federalism protects minority rights—the rights of communities or whole
regions to maintain their customs, their diversity and individuality, their
self-rule. It was so with the Federal union of 1787–1788: South Carolina
was not required by the Constitution to model itself on Massachusetts,
and in turn Massachusetts did not have to adopt the ways of South Carolina. Yet those two very different political communities found it possible
to cooperate through the federal republic of the United States on many
matters, most of the time, for the following sixty-four years, without resorting to force. Federalism, then, is associated with ‘‘States’ Rights’’
and is regarded as an important means for the preservation of local selfgovernment.
(2) Federalism provides that States or regions can manage their own
affairs, rather than being directed by a central autocracy or bureaucracy.
A federal structure is particularly necessary to modern representative democracy, especially one so large as the United States. For unless there are
political units on a humane scale that are not too big for citizens to understand or share in, ‘‘democracy’’ becomes a mere phrase. Genuine democracy requires that a good many people should participate in public
concerns and be governed by representatives chosen from and accountable to the local community. People enjoy a sense of personal safety and
security when they are governed by representatives drawn from their
own community, who share their values, customs, and mores, and are accessible for consultation, advice, and assistance. It is easier to control a
native son, living in the community, than a stranger residing in a distant
city. If the United States were a unitary system of government, with all
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