order these eras of federalism by when they first started, from earliest to most recent.

Here’s the usual ordering of the major eras of U.S. federalism by when they first started, from earliest to most recent:

1. Dual federalism (sometimes called “layer cake” federalism) – emerges with the Constitution and early republic in the late 1700s, running into the early 1900s.

2. Cooperative federalism – begins in the early 20th century and especially with the New Deal in the 1930s, when federal and state governments start working closely together through grants and shared programs.

3. New Federalism – starts around the late 1960s–1980s (often dated from the Nixon or Reagan years) as an effort to return more power and discretion to the states.