1) The federal system shares authority between the national and state governments. The role of citizens is to participate in elections at both levels of government and vote for political representatives. In a confederation, the citizens primarily interact with state governments, because they hold the most authority. In a unitary system, citizens engage mainly with the central government, as it has primary control over policies and decisions.

2) The system of division of power is the way authority is divided among the national and state governments. In the United States, the division of power used to be more distinct but now the government holds overlapping powers, called concurrent powers. This system is necessary to prevent one level of government from having more authority than the other and ultimately protects individual freedoms.

3) The federal government shapes the actions of state and local governments in several ways, including allocating federal funds to state governments, imposing mandates, and passing laws and regulations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government impacted the lives of NY state residents through financial support and CDC public health guidelines. New York State received a total of $13.5 billion in federal relief, which helped maintain public health services and resources. The CDC issued guidelines and backed federal mandates for the state and local governments to follow as well.