Federalism in Government

Federalism has been a crucial part of our government since its beginnings. Its definition has changed over the years and has been interpreted in many different ways, but the meaning and importance of the world is still clear after all the government has been through. Categorical grants and federal mandates have been used to increase the power of the federal government for state issues; Block grants and the tenth amendment have been used to increase the power of the state governments to decrease federal government intrusion.
Federalism is defined as, "a way of organizing a nation so two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same people and land". The levels of government can be national, state, or local governments and the people and land are always shared.
Categorical grants are only used for specific categories and have strings attached, generally requirements of the states. Federal mandates are requirements of local and state governments to comply with federals rules to continually receive money. Both of these give more control to the Federal government, increasing federalism in the nation. However, the states have fought back with rules of their own.
Block grants are given automatically to support broad programs in the state, like social services and developing community programs. The Tenth Amendment states that powers not delegated to the National Government by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or people respectively. Both of these laws give more power to the states to overcome control by the federal government.
Federalism is an ongoing fight in the U.S. government. Whether through categorical grants or mandates, the federal government manages to maintain control over the states. However, the states have fought back with rights of their own to protect and preserve the power they have.