After reading this chapter, you should be able to understand:

• how federal, unitary, and confederal systems of government differ
• why the United States has a federal system of government
• the advantages and disadvantages of federalism
• the different types of power granted by the U.S. Constitution
• which clauses in the U.S. Constitution discuss the powers of the states and which ones discuss the powers of the federal government
• the different stages of federalism and what types of federal grants-in-aid are associated with each stage