1 ) Federations, confederations, and unitary governments all posit citizens in different roles. The unitary system sets the states as subordinates to the national government. In a confederation, the system that the United States adopted under the Articles of Confederation, uses the state as the primary source of government. The national government is subordinate to the state, and must go to each state of consent to act. A federation splits authority between the states and the national government. This authority, however, is derived and granted by the people. Therefore, the amount of power a government posses is dependent on how much the people give it. This system, in theory, positions citizens as the most important factor, and decider of its affairs.

2 ) The division of power, in the context of our lesson, refers to how power is delegated in any form of government. For example, in a federation, the state and national governments have authority over their land, the authority being given by the citizens. Each factor in this (the states, the national government, and even the people to some extent) has their own individual and distinct responsibilities in running or deciding how to run the country. Obviously, the national and state governments are the biggest players here.

3 ) The national government can employ many methods to influence state and local governments. One of the most common ways of achieving this influence is through federal grants. The grants are gifted to states and localities, and either have strict demands for how they should be spent or general guidelines/suggestions. This money is seen as an incentive to advance the Federal government’s interests. An example of this can be drawn from the period of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. NYC has been granted $180,438,727 (estimated as of February 2022) of federal money to
“support local efforts to increase vaccine uptake by expanding COVID-19 vaccine programs.” In this case, the Federal government has given the New York City a sum of money to advance one of it’s interests, expanding vaccination against COVID-19.