1a​.

In the Constitution, things that the national government and the federal government can do
are called delegated powers. Whereas, things that the national government and state
governments can do are called concurrent powers. Some of the concurrent powers include
collecting taxes, punishing criminals, and creating courts. Though, there are some orders - such
as declaring war, handling foreign affairs, and printing money - which the national powers are
allowed to do. Other orders - such as setting up schools, making marriage laws, and creating
county/city governments - are only allowed to be done by state powers. In the Covid-19
Pandemic, there was a significant difference between the state governors and the national
governors. While the state governors quickly began to close down schools, workplaces, and
grocery stores to allow public safety in late February and early March, the national government
took no strict actions immediately. Rather, the national government waited out to pass acts,
such as the CARES act until late March. The national government took things in a slower
manner in comparison to the state governments since their control couldn’t do much. The states
had to make the initial call - according to the Constitution - to lockdown certain places, whereas
the national government had time to wait since their responsibilities are going to be held to a
greater extent.

1b.​ Federalist 51, a document written by James Madison, addressed the appropriate checks
and balances should be created in government and also advocated for the separation of powers
within the national government. This idea relates to the authority fo the executive branch due to
the introduction of the separation of powers. The separation of powers was an act of dividing the
legislative, executive, and judicial powers of the government in separate branches. During the
Covid-19 pandemic, the citizens were relying on the executive officials to call for direct
government action since it is the branch of government that practices authority in and holding
responsibility for the governance of a state. The other two branches, legislative and judicial
branches, play a role as a safety net in such a scenario to allow fairness and reactivity. So,
because of the Federalist 51 document, it was easier to make a federal and final decision as to
what to do during this world-wide pandemic since the authority was assigned to the executive
branch.

1c.​ Popular sovereignty is the idea that the authority of a state and its government is maintained
and made after listening to their people and gaining consent through elected representatives -
which are the source of the political power. Many parents, during the beginning of the new
school year, were asked to take a poll of whether they want their children to do hybrid learning
or fully remote due to the pandemic. Taking this poll showed that the state is listening to what
the people think is best for them and safest for their community. The decisions were made to go
fully remote in District 125 after the parents of most students voted to opt for online learning.
Popular sovereignty is still taken into account since state governors, such as governed Pritzker
of Illinois listened to what the people of their state had to say and took an executive decision
based on the votes.