How to approach the FRQ:
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Be precise
Marshal evidence
Perform the tasks at hand
Move on after addressing each part
Remember: this is NOT an essay! It’s a short
series of specific prompts requiring FOCUSED
(not free!) responses
• Relax. You’ll be fine! 
The Statement
“The Constitution created a federal government
in order to address problems of decentralization
that were experienced under the Articles of
Confederation.”
- Note: this is NOT a question; it’s a statement. It
gives you a general idea of the theme you’ll be
asked to address.
Part (a):
“Define federalism.”
Your only task here is to provide a definition. There is no need
for an introduction, a thesis, or any other musing on politics or
history.
Sample response:
Federalism is a system of government in which the power to
govern is shared between a central authority and smaller
state and local authorities.
Then, MOVE ON!
Part (b):
“List three problems of decentralized power that
existed under the Articles of Confederation. For
each problem you list, identify one solution that the
Constitution provides to address the problem.”
What you have to do is straightforward and simple.
You are not writing an essay about the weaknesses
of the Articles of Confederation or a veneration of
the Constitution. You are essentially providing two
lists – for each, a series OR bullet points will suffice.
Let’s take one piece of this at a time.
Part (b) continued:
“List three problems of decentralized power that
existed under the Articles of Confederation.”
Sample response:
Three problems of decentralized power under the
Articles were:
-no power to tax
-no power to raise an army
-no centralized court system
Part (b) continued:
“For each problem you list, identify one solution that the
Constitution provides to address the problem.”
Sample response:
The Constitution resolved these problems by:
-giving Congress the power to tax
-making the President Commander in Chief of the military
-creating a system of federal courts
Then, MOVE ON!
Part (c):
“Some have argued that the tensions between decentralized and centralized
power continue to exist. Support this argument by explaining how one of the
following illustrates the continuing tension.”
• Education reform
• Gun control
• Welfare reform
Your job here is to use evidence to back up the claim being made in part (c)
that tensions still exist. You can NOT simply cite a legal case or a law; you
must explain the connection between the legal case or law and the policy
area (i.e. education reform, gun control, welfare reform) you’ve selected.
Part (c) continued:
“Some have argued that the tensions between
decentralized and centralized power continue to exist.
Support this argument by explaining how one of the
following illustrates the continuing tension.”
Sample response (education reform):
The No Child Left Behind Act, passed in 2001, illustrates
this tension because it gives the federal government more
authority over the domain of education than ever before
in US history. Previously, education was a reserved power
-- it had always been a domain governed by the states
and localities alone.
Part (c) continued:
“Some have argued that the tensions between decentralized
and centralized power continue to exist. Support this
argument by explaining how one of the following illustrates
the continuing tension.”
Sample response (gun control):
Many pieces of legislation, from the Gun Free School Zones
Act to the Brady Act, have attempted to federally restrict the
ownership and possession of firearms. In each case, lawsuits
have tested the constitutionality of these federal restrictions
and resulted in compromises between federal and state
authorities, illustrating the continued tensions between the
two.
Part (c) continued:
“Some have argued that the tensions between decentralized
and centralized power continue to exist. Support this
argument by explaining how one of the following illustrates
the continuing tension.”
Sample response (welfare reform):
In 1996, the Welfare Reform Act was passed, which
transferred a great deal of authority from the federal
government to the states in the distribution of social welfare.
This type of devolution illustrates the continued tensions and
changing balance of power and responsibility between the
state and federal governments.