Final answer:
The Constitution defines the national government's obligations to the states through principles of federalism, equality, and shared powers, while also delineating limits on state powers to ensure individual rights and protection.
Step-by-step explanation:
The United States Constitution delineates the responsibilities and obligations of the national government towards the states within a federal framework. Key to this relationship is the principle of federalism which requires a division and power-sharing system, ensuring that while some powers are exclusively national, others are reserved to the states, and yet more powers are shared concurrently by both.
National obligations towards the states include ensuring each state maintains a republican form of government, protecting them from foreign attacks, and providing assistance during internal uprisings or insurrections. The Constitution also mandates that states must be treated equally, with equal representation in the Senate, uniform taxation, and prohibitions against altering state boundaries without consent.
The shared powers between national and state governments, such as the power to tax, show how the Constitution allows for a flexible yet defined scope of authority. The states themselves are barred from certain actions, like coining money or entering into treaties, through Article I, Section 10, while amendments such as the Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-Sixth further restrict state powers in favor of protecting individual rights and equality.