What principle endorses the idea that states should resist the growth of national government authority, particularly before the Civil War?

The principle that endorses the idea that states should resist the growth of national government authority, particularly before the Civil War, is rooted in the concept of States' Rights. This principle reflects the belief that individual states possess certain rights and powers independent of the federal government. Advocates of States' Rights argued that the federal government should have limited authority, with more significant power residing at the state level.

Historically, this principle was particularly prominent in debates over issues such as slavery and regional autonomy leading up to the Civil War. Southern states, in particular, leveraged the idea of States' Rights to justify their position against federal policies they deemed intrusive or harmful to their interests. This belief played a critical role in shaping political discourse and actions during that period, including secessionist movements that led to the Civil War.

In contrast, federalism refers to the division of authority between national and state governments, while cooperative governance emphasizes collaboration between different levels of government. The separation of powers focuses on distributing government authority among different branches—executive, legislative, and judicial—rather than between state and federal governments. These concepts, while relevant to understanding the structure of American government, do not encapsulate the specific resistance to national authority exemplified by the principle of States' Rights