Q1: How was federalism viewed during the Great Society?

GOAL!

Medicaid (1965)

• government insurance program for persons of all ages whose income and resources are insufficient to pay for health care
• Federalism: both state and federal governments fund it, while its managed by just the states
• each state is able to determine who is eligible for Medicaid

Federal Budget

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965)

• 1964: $649 Billion
• 1977: $1.18 Trillion

• set high standards for academic performance
• held state schools accountable for the level of intelligence of its students
• addressed challenges that people with learning disabilities faced
• Federalism: states are given some power (money) because of their cooperation with the federal government on these issues

Higher Education Act (1965)

• increased federal money given to univerities, created scholarships, provided low interest loans for students
• Federalism: initially the states dictated their own local policies for education, but this act gave the federal government authority over nationwide policies regarding education

Voting Rights Act (1965)

• intended to prevent barriers at the state level which impeded minorities from voting
• Federalism: Usually states are given the authority to oversee the polls, however, this act placed federal officials at the polls to ensure equal opportunity among voters

Civil Rights Act (1964)

• banned discrimination in public accomodations and employment (equal opportunity for everyone in the workplace)
• provided integration of schools
• Federalism: education was regulated by the states prior to this act which initiated school desegregation

24th Amendment (1964)

• prohibits Congress and the states from implementing a poll tax or any other kind of tax
• poll taxes appeared in the South in the 1890s and were unregulated due to the lack of government officials to protect African American's voting rights
• Federalism: the Amendment took ower away from the states to use methods (poll taxes) to prevent African Americans from voting

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

• Miranda was questioned by police and provided a written confession to kidnapping and rape
• The Arizona courts held that Miranda's constitutional rights were not violated
• Supreme Court reversed the judgement stating, "the prosecution may not use statements, whether exculpatory or inculpatory, stemming from custodial interrogation of the defendant unless it demonstrates the use of procedural safeguards effective to secure the privilege against self-incrimination. By custodial interrogation, we mean questioning initiated by law enforcement officers after a person has been taken into custody or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way.”
• Federalism: The federal government defined what it meant for an arrest to be legal

Brown v. Board of Education

• found segregation unconstitutional
• refused to apply its decision in Plessy v. Ferguson to "field of education"
• "We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of 'separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
• Major victory in the Civil rights movement
• Federalism: courts ruled that states must racially integrate public schools and that states couldn't make their own educational policies

How many people work for federal government in Great Society Era?

1964:5,220 1970:6,085

1965:5,215 1971:5,675

1966:5,888 1972:5,225

1967:6,416 1973:5,113

1968:6,639 1974:5,091

1969:6,575

The Great Society and Federalism

Contemporary (New) Federalism

1970 (to present)

Based on political philosophy of devolution

Not Nixon's baby but Reagan's

Cooperative Federalism (1960-1968)

State dependency on federal government.

LBJ Trademark Saying

Great Society Era

1964-1977

Thomas Williamson, Connor Ryan, Esteban Pimentel

Q: How was federalism viewed during the Great Society?