What is federalism?

• A. A system where power is shared between the national government and state governments.
• B. A system where the national government has all power.
• C. A system where only local governments have power.
• D. A system where powers are divided among branches of government only.

Answer: (A)

Federalism is the division of sovereignty between the national government and state governments, so both levels have authority in their own defined areas. In practice, the national government handles issues like defense and currency, states handle many local matters like education and transportation, and some powers are shared, allowing both levels to act on certain policies. This structure lets the national government address nationwide needs while giving states the flexibility to reflect local preferences, and it provides a built-in check on power by distributing responsibility across levels. The other options describe different systems: centralized control where the national government holds all power; power resting only with local governments (a confederal or local-centric idea); or power divided strictly among branches (separation of powers within the national government), none of which capture the shared national-state arrangement of federalism.