Discuss the Controversies of federalism that have arisen in America throughout its history - Essay Example

23 February Controversies of federalism in the USA The history of the USA provides many examples of controversies of federalism. Even to this date, the controversies of federalism have not lessened significantly. Examples of controversies of federalism in the history of USA include but are not limited to the Dred Scott Decision and the end of slavery by the Civil War. The US Supreme Court passed a ruling called as the Dred Scott Decision according to which, the constitution of the USA did not protect the African people in the USA who had been slaves or their descendants irrespective of the fact that they served as slaves or not.

The ruling denied the African people right to have the citizenship of the USA. The Dred Scott Decision intensified the causal factors of the Civil War in the USA (Cozzens). Slavery in the USA could not be stopped without the commencement of the Civil War. In the years between 1861 and 1865, more than six lac Americans lost their lives to achieve different objectives including preservation of the Union, defense of the rights of the states and the end of slavery.One of the controversies of federalism in the contemporary USA is the constitutional system in which, the state governments and the national government share power.

When the presidential elections take place, voters are registered and elections are conducted by the states whereas the date for the national elections is set by the congress. The electoral votes are organizes by the national government while the ballots are counted by the states. The president is ultimately determined by the electoral votes organized by the national government. References:Cozzens, Lisa. “Dred Scott: Introduction.” 1998. Web. 23 Feb. 2012..