mendment served as a turning point for modern federalism. It was a modest tax, but it was the foundation for the federalism of today. It is a source of income for the government to use with national policies. The New Deal set a precedence: the federal government is not limited to its enumerated powers, in fact, it can legislate in just about all areas of American life. It changed the country from Dual to Cooperative federalism without using formal amendments. The relationship between the states and the federal government grew closer, with different levels of government working together towards common objectives.Cooperative or marble cake federalism characterized governmental relations in the 1950s and into the 1960s. It is a mixture, with an intertwining exchange of information, coordination and cooperation. In other words it is not black and white, but rather a shade of gray. The best reason for cooperative federalism is efficiency. Different government functions can best be provided at different levels because there are optimally efficient scales for providing the services. Fire, police, and ambulance services need to be provided locally, for example, while defense is best provided nationally. Cooperative federalism helped to further equality, executing social programs more efficiently. It also helped national unity by giving people access to different areas of influence, through interest groups.During the 1960s it seemed that state governments were ineffective at resolving racial problems. The Supreme Court ruled against segregation in Brown vs. Board of Education and ten years later Congress followed up with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Because the states wouldnt support basic civil rights, the people looked to the Supreme Court to defend them against their own state governments. Through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 the Congress battled racial discrimination in state regulation, employment, and public accommodations. This confronta...
