Final answer:
Federalism in the United States limits the power of government by requiring the national government to share power with state governments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Federalism in the United States limits the power of government by requiring the national government to share power with state governments (option b). This division of power prevents any one level of government from becoming too powerful. It also ensures that one state cannot make laws that affect all the other states. In the United States, federalism works to limit the power of government by mandating that authority is divided between two levels of government: the national government and the state governments. This structure ensures a form of checks and balances where power is not centralized in one level of government. The correct answer to how federalism limits the power of government in the United States is: b. It requires the national government to share power with state governments. This sharing of power is embedded in the U.S. Constitution, which grants specific powers to the national government while reserving others to the states. For example, while the federal government can negotiate treaties, states cannot; conversely, states have the power to enforce driving laws, which the federal government does not. Moreover, the Constitution provides checks and balances among the three branches of the federal government (executive, legislative, and judiciary), but federalism specifically refers to the division of powers between the national and state governments. Each state has its own executive, legislative, and judicial branches, ensuring a degree of autonomy and preventing excessive accumulation of power at the federal level. Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court serves as the final arbiter in conflicts between states and the federal government, further maintaining the balance of power established by federalism and preserving the autonomy of the states when appropriate.