States' Rights
University of Oklahoma American History professor Rachel Shelden focuses on the American Union and illustrates the arguments for and against a state's right to secede.
In this lecture, OU law professor Lindsay Robertson explores the fundamental concept of federalism – the division of power between the federal government and the states – in its constitutional dimensions. He follows its history through various formative moments from the American founding through to the early 20th century.
Federalism – the division of powers between national and lower-level governments – has been a defining quality of American constitutionalism from its inception. In many ways, the story of federalism, and its transformations, is the story of American constitutional development. In this lecture, professor Lindsay Robertson traces the evolving conceptions of the relative powers of the national and state governments. He touches on everything from the stock market crash of 1929 to contemporary legislation such as No Child Left Behind and the Affordable Care Act.
In 2013, a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was struck down by the Supreme Court. Political science professor Ronald Keith Gaddie examines the reasons and the consequences and discusses the prospects for restoration.
