Why did the founding fathers federalism?

Answer 1

Federalism is known as State's Rights. It embodies the concept put in the Constitution by the founding fathers that each state was to be a strong and definite political body in and of itself. The states were to retain most authority to govern their own affairs without interference from the federal government. While we think of our modern America as a democracy, that was not the original intent of the founders. Their concept was for the states to be a group united together under the idea of a free republic. After the Constitutional Convention, when Benjamin Franklin was asked by a citizen what they had been given, he replied, "A republic, if you can keep it". A republic would have less of a central government with more power residing in the individual states.

Answer 2

The Founding Fathers embraced federalism as a way to balance power between the national government and the states. They believed that a strong national government was necessary for the protection of the country and to handle national issues, but also recognized the importance of state sovereignty and local control. Federalism ensured that power was not concentrated solely in one entity and allowed for a system of checks and balances.