Past Federalism Conferences

Overview: We live in challenging times. The American economic recovery is fragile, with a decline in production and levels of unemployment not seen since the Great Depression. The nation is reeling from a deadly pandemic that has cost more than 400,000 lives. There is widespread concern about voting and elections in America, the basic system by which we the people select our leaders. And underlying all these challenges is a pervasive concern that the blessings of liberty and opportunities for advancement are not equally available to all regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. Yet it is often said that every challenge is also an opportunity. In the depths of a Civil War that pitted brother against brother and claimed more than 600,000 lives, President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg foresaw a “new birth of liberty” emerging from the crisis. Struggling with our problems today, some have seen an opportunity to use the vast resources of the federal government to “build it back better”. This conference will address itself to how this might be done and, more particularly, to how state governments as well as the federal government might participate in that project. American federalism was a vital element in the success of our nation, and it can contribute to confronting the challenges we now face.