Dual Federalism II (1860 - 1930) Evan Corgiat Brooke Mulder What is Dual Federalism Dual federalism is a political arrangement in which power is divided between national and state governments in clearly defined terms, with state governments exercising those powers accorded to them without interference from the national government. The Civil war After the Civil War, Congress amended the Constitution to guarantee certain rights for citizens. This period brought about debate on whether the federal government could make these amendments, some arguing that this was an infringement on states' rights. 13th, 14th and 15th amendments • The 13th Amendment abolished slavery • The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all slaves • The 15th Amendment gave voting right to every citizen These amendments are important to federalism because they took the power of deciding who gets to vote out of the hands of the states and put it hands of the federal government. Interstate Commerce Act (1887) and the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) These two acts start to give more power to the National government by allowing them to regulate the railroad industry and giving them the power to prevent monopolies. After these acts, the economy begins to be more and more regulated by the federal government. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) & Williams v. Mississippi Theses Supreme Court cases gave more power to the states as it allowed them to maintain segregation and prevent minorities from voting. The Ending of Dual Federalism Dual Federalism ended around the 1930’s when the great depression was plaguing America. FDR’s New Deal policies elevated commerce to a more National level giving the National government a great deal more power. .