American Government During The Twentieth Century

Another of these monumental changes would be the surrender of the control of power from the legislative branch to the executive branch. Over the twentieth century, this became an increasing reality as the focus shifted from Congress to the president (Cooper 2009, 388). While this development has many different advantages in the American government system, there are disadvantages as well, such as a decrease in stability (Cooper 2009, 379). The role of the president has become more important because of the changes that have led to the modern world (Cooper 2009, 388). This has occurred because of a number of reasons, such as “substantial increases in the responsibilities of the federal government, the stakes of politics, and the ease of communication and travel” (Cooper 2009, 388). Furthermore, in recent years, Congress has not worked hard in certain circumstances to protect their rights but have surrendered to the executive branch (Davidson, Oleszek, and Lee 2010, 498). It is

World War I significantly influenced the modern world in which all humanity subsists. The United States of America was altered internally and externally by the Great War. Shadowing World War I America was distinguished as a supreme nation holding great power; subsequently the nation would be redefined politically, economically, and socially.

World War 1 was a war that lasted from 1914 to 1918 and was a war that involved and was molded around alliances. This war in Europe would eventually turn into a global war that would involve 32 countries. United States involvement was crucial to the outcome of World War 1 and made a serious impact in our country. Both positive and negative effects were felt by Americans during and even long after the war. Mixed feelings were felt from many Americans for entering the war that would affect society.

In today’s American society, the every day lives and routines of American citizens are impacted, affected, and ruled by the government. By studying the lives of people beginning in eighteenth century France, it is easy to see how the ruling government system impacts the everyday lives and routines of it‘s citizens. It is also easy to compare this society to the European civilization under the rule of Napoleon I, the American civilization under the rule of Woodrow Wilson, and Adolf Hitler.

World War I began in 1914 as a result of several things including alliances and nationalism throughout the world, and imperialistic nations attempting to gain more global power. The United States tried to stay with the foreign policy known as isolationism and stay completely out of the war. However, due to Germany’s severe actions, America was forced to enter the war in 1917 on the side of the Allies. This greatly helped the Allies in accomplishing a victory. The war ended in 1919 although there were still bitter feelings between the different countries. Following World War I, United States’ government became more involved and there was rising conflict over political influence in other nations, the economy took a turn for the worst,

In the words of Thomas Jefferson, “A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circlue of our felicities.” (Jefferson, 1801) This idea echoed far beyond it’s time and into the minds and hearts of the Populist’s, and became the center and the driving force of the Progressive era. During the gilded age railroads were being built, Industrialization was rising, the population of United States was increasing dramatically; and corporate businesses were becoming extremely

World War I changed America greatly. It had an obvious effect on the way we handle business on the home front. Propaganda, rationing, and political views all played a part on American citizens in World War I.

In 1787, the Constitution of the United States was just written on September 17th. During this time, the common man was still under the power of the Articles of Confederation, a weak document that loosely connected the 13 former colonies. Although the Articles didn’t give the United States of America the strong centralized power that it needed, opposers to the new Constitution would argue that the Constitution took away the rights of the common man and gave that power, that the individual once had, to the federal government. Although this statement is correct, the federal government’s newly given power was used to protect the fundamental rights and liberties of its citizens and create a powerful government in the hopes that it would benefit

Also, if the United States was to enter the war, national production would switch from civilian products to war materials (Economic). In the years leading up to the war, America was already in a state of recession and they did not want to spend millions of dollars on this conflict. The following quote states how much the war affected the economy of the United States. "The total cost of World War I to the United States (was) approximately $32 billion, or 52 percent of gross national product at the time" (Economic). If you were the president of the United States, would you want to put out $32 billion dollars when your country is in recession as it is? Second, another reason the United States stayed out of the war for so long was because of their policy of neutrality. On August 19, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson addressed the congress and informed them of the U.S. policy of neutrality (First). In doing this, President Wilson was saying that the United States would stay neutral during the war and not intervene. During the president’s address to congress, he states, “Every man who really loves America will act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality” (First). By saying this, the president is saying that the policy of neutrality is the absolute best choice for the United States in this situation, and any citizens that did not believe in this did not truly care for the country or its people.

In 1863, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address defined the American government as an institution “of the people, by the people, [and] for the people”. Lincoln had an idealistic view of the government as an instrument for societal change. He, as well as the founding fathers, intended for the government to act in support of the people’s will or the majority rule. This democratic definition of the government has remained true throughout the course of American history. By placing all of its power on its citizens, the government itself did not decide the course of history but rather followed it. This follower mindset is seen through the government’s positive interactions with marginalized groups’ who in their attempts to overcome exclusion gained

The federal government role in America from the late 1800s during Reconstruction, up to the early 1900s during the Great Depression, often expanded and contracted in response to the demands of the American public. During this time frame, the nation underwent major changes and faced many challenges in order to get where we are today. As a country, our priorities shifted from being concerned about encounters right in front of us, to encouraging and pursuing a better future for everyone. After years of hard work and dedication, with the help of the federal government, our nation was finally focused on a greater life for all people. Therefore, without both the high and low points of the federal government throughout this period, we would not reside in the homeland we have today. To conclude, the role of federal government has changed over time in many ways, including but not limited to: protecting rights, promoting economic development, encouraging expansion, and providing financial support.

Throughout the course of history, Americans have changed the ways in which they derived the powers of the government from the consent of the governed, have changed their understanding of social and political practices concerning “rights”, changed “forms” of government, which have all led to a change in Americans’ “safety and happiness”.

The Constitution placed a great deal of power back into the hands of a strong, central government much like that of a monarchy. “The extraordinarily powerful national government that emerged from Philadelphia possessed far more than the additional congressional powers that were required to solve the United States’ difficulties” (Wood 151). The U.S. government was extremely revolutionary though, in the way that it viewed and handled sovereignty. “Unlike the British in relation to their House of Commons, the American people never surrendered to any political institution…their full and final sovereign power” (Wood 160). Throughout the entire American struggle to establish a suitable government, the citizens maintained their ability to influence policy in a way that the British never could.

The relationship between the federal government and the American people changed radically. The government now had a more powerful affect on people’s social and economic lives.

In the 1900s - 1940s the federal government enacted many new policies and acts that caused the growth of their power. In this time, the expansion of the government's power proved to be more beneficial than harmful to the majority of American lives.