In the united states political system, the term federalism refers to

a) limits on the powers of the state government
b) limits on the powers of national government
c) the division of powers between the levels of government
d) fundamental basis of law
e) legal authority of courts to hear cases

C) the division of powers of national government

the correct answer is c) the division of powers between the levels of government.

Explanation:

In the United States, the two major layers of government are at the state and national levels. This system, where more than one layer of government has jurisdiction over the same territory, is called federalism. Although it seems natural to US citizens that government is divided into multiple layers, in fact, there are only 15 federal republics in the world.

In the United States, the federalist system emerged because the states evolved from separate colonies, which had diverse populations and different needs. The Framers of the Constitution envisioned that state governments, not the national government, would be the main unit of government for citizens on a day-to-day basis.