The U.S. Constitution established a unique federal system of government to replace the original Articles of Confederation. National concerns were to be addressed by a national legislature and president while local concerns would remain the responsibility of state legislatures and governors. Only within specifically delineated areas would federal power displace state authority. Certain areas were the exclusive province of the individual states - public health and safety chief among them. The reasoning behind this design was fairly straightforward.
Government is likely to work better when it is as close as possible to the governed.
Thus, while national defense requires coordination by the central government, drainage ditch decisions do not. The Constitutional Basis for Federalism. States do not have rights, they have powers. The Ninth and Tenth amendments in particular demonstrate that the Founding Fathers were not confused over the distinction between rights and powers. However, the principle of federalism is today more rhetoric than reality in our nation's capital.