Federalism: What It Was Supposed to Be

In the Constitution, federalism means power is shared between the national government and the states.

• The federal government was supposed to handle things that affect the whole nation: defense, foreign policy, trade between states, printing money.
• States were meant to control most of daily life: schools, local laws, policing, property, and family law.
• The Tenth Amendment makes this clear: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution… are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

The design was a balance: Washington could not smother the states, and states could not ignore national needs.

How Federalism Works Now

Over time, that balance has shifted.

• The federal government uses money to control states.
• If a state wants federal highway funds, it must follow federal rules (like the drinking age at 21).
• Programs like Medicaid or education grants come with strings attached, forcing states to follow national policies.
• Supreme Court decisions and congressional laws have expanded federal reach far beyond what the founders likely imagined.

Today, states often act like administrators for Washington’s agenda, not independent governments.

How Feudalism Worked

Most people don’t study feudalism in school, but here’s the simple version:

• Feudalism was the system in medieval Europe.
• A king owned all the land and granted pieces to lords in exchange for loyalty and taxes.
• Lords let peasants farm the land, and peasants owed labor, crops, or money back up the chain.
• Everyone was locked in place: peasants couldn’t easily leave, and lords were bound to the king.

It was a system of obligations and dependency, not freedom.

How Our System Resembles Feudalism Today

• Washington, D.C. is like the king: it controls the money.
• States are like the lords: they get money from Washington but must obey its conditions.
• Citizens are like the peasants: they pay taxes up the chain and live under rules set far away.
• Just as medieval peasants had little voice, modern citizens often feel powerless when policies are dictated from above.

The names are different — “federal” instead of “feudal” — but the dynamic of control through resources looks similar.

Why This Matters

Federalism was supposed to give citizens two shields of protection: state governments close to the people and a national government limited in scope.
Instead, federal leverage has turned states into dependents. Recognizing the parallels to feudalism helps explain why so many Americans feel unheard and trapped in a system that seems upside down.