ABSTRACT
The American system is in truth a partnership in which the doctrine of dual federalism, held generally for upward of a century and still widely embraced, has in fact given way before the practice of cooperative federalism. This chapter examines the role of the cities in the American system of government. As before, the purpose is a limited one. Aspects of the problem which would be vital in another context are passed over in favor of emphasis on the position of the cities with respect first to the states, second to the nation. What the federal system means at any given time will be an aggregate of what it has been held to mean with respect to major but individual current issues. There are many decision centers through which the direction of American federalism is determined. The Presidency is one such, and it is altogether proper to speak of the Roosevelt administration as one under which the national government flowered.
