Oklahoma Academic Standard 5. The student will describe the structure and responsibilities of the American system of government and the role of the individual citizen.

Objective 5.5.1   Examine the key principles of government established in the Constitution of the United States including:

C.  shared powers between the federal and state governments. 

In a Nutshell

In order to achieve ratification of the new Constitution, it was necessary for the authority of state governments to be recognized. However, a system of shared powers among national and state governments was also designed by the Framers of the Constitution to prevent all governmental power residing at the national level. Students should be able to describe a federal system as one in which political power is divided, as well as shared, between the national and state levels of governments.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Assist students in identifying democratic principles in historic documents and describe examples of  democratic principles at work in state and national settings.

• Provide opportunities for students to explain strategies used to address local, regional or national historical problems by accessing different levels of governmental authority.

• Create and explore essential questions that are important to others, as well as enduring across the social studies disciplines, such as "Why should government be limited?" 

• Acquire and use appropriate academic vocabulary related to the concept of federalism.

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• federalism, states rights, state governments, national (federal) government

• expressed powers of the national government, reserved powers for the states, concurrent powers

• Article I, Section 8 and 10 of the United States Constitution, Tenth Amendment

• Most students may find it challenging to comprehend a system of shared powers between national and state elected and appointed officials, including the nature of concurrent powers exercised by both levels of government.

• Many students will not recognize that the system of shared powers among levels of government was an intentional and deliberate method to support the rights of states to manage affairs within their borders AND prevent potential abuse of power by either level of government.

Instructional Resources