National and State Government
Module 8 Lesson 1 Mastery Assignment
Directions: In this lesson, you learned about that many of the national, state, and local government powers are similar. For this assignment, you will learn about the response of both the national and state government, discuss the positive and negative effects of having both the national and state government involved, and also consider the overall advantages and disadvantages of federalism.
For background on Hurricane Floyd and it’s impact, please read the following article: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-recent/6267 (Links to an external site.)
The following is a recording of a North Carolina couple describing their experiences with flooding and their frustrations with disorganized and inadequate relief. Please listen to the following: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-recent/6210 (Links to an external site.)
The following is a pamphlet published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the North Carolina Emergency Management Division. It was made to help give resident’s tips on how to stay safe and recover after Hurricane Floyd. Please review the following: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2009/12/rt_nc2.pdf (Links to an external site.)
Answer the following questions using the resources above:
“Update the questions with the following:
In theory, federalism allows more control for state and local governments in matters best known to them.
1. In what ways did that work to the benefit of North Carolinian’s in the aftermath of Hurricane Floyd? (use examplesfrom the resources provided)
2. DISCUSS how the following realities prevented or hindered the federal system from working as planned – be sure to include supporting examples from the provided materials. [Remember you’re not limited to those, but if you use other sources be sure to cite them.]
a. the extent of the disaster
b. different approaches and methods for the same problem
c. ill-defined and/or overlapping areas of responsibility
d. “”turf battles”” over responsibility
3. In your opinion what could or should have been done to prevent the failings of the combined relief efforts after Floyd? Be as detailed as you can be and use examples from the resources provided, and support your answer.
4. Does the experience of Floyd and other disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, indicate that federalism is a fine-sounding theory that doesn’t work out in reality, or are the difficulties associated with it inevitable for any complex human organization? Explain and defend your answer.
5. Find examples of situations in which federal and state areas of responsibility have meshed well and worked. Explain how those examples are more the norm for federal/state relations, or are in fact the exception
