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    Federation

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 2 min
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    A federation is a group of states that give their sovereignty to a central governing authority that enforces certain laws and regulations. The powers of a central government are outlined in a federation's constitution.[1]

    The United States is a federation of states under the U.S. Constitution. Between 1781 and 1789, the U.S. was a confederation under the Articles of Confederation.[1]

    Background[edit]

    The United States has maintained stronger distinctions between federations and confederations as political concepts even though the words have the same etymology.[2] In federations, the ties between the members are stronger.[2]

    Calling something a federation implies that it has a stronger central government while confederations are unions of sovereign states that emphasize the autonomy of the members.[2]

    See also[edit]

    External links[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Diffen, "Confederation vs. Federation," accessed July 28, 2021
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Britannica.com, "Confederation," accessed February 21, 2022
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