Essay on the Evolution of Federal Government in United States History

This essay explores the evolution of the federal government in the United States, examining the shift in power dynamics and its impact on American democracy. It begins by defining the concept of a federal government and its influence on citizen perceptions. The essay contrasts the viewpoints of Federalists, who advocated for a strong national government to foster economic growth, with Anti-Federalists, who favored smaller units of government to prevent potential monarchy. The essay further delves into the rise of American nationalism, issues of taxation, and the formation of American civic nationalism. It also acknowledges the perspectives of marginalized groups, such as women, natives, and slaves, who often felt unheard by the government. The conclusion highlights the advancements in democracy and economic development brought about by the federal government's growth, while also emphasizing the importance of citizen participation and representation.

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UNITED STATES HISTORY
Introduction
A federal government is generally an outlined system that portions power from the strong
national government to other units of power such as local government. This form of government
has led to various conceptions in relation to democracy. In addition, the American citizens have
developed certain perceptions and opinions about the government as a result of the inevitable
influence originating from the growth in federal power (Spring & Joel, 2016). During this error,
a good number of Americans possessed divergent opinions about the government as some
preferred a single and strong national government aimed at promoting economic growth
(federalists) whereas on the contrary opinion others preferred small units of government
against a single unit of national government (antifederalists).
According to the federalists, a strong national government would encourage a reliable
economic growth and improving the existing relationship between United States and the Great
Britain (Prucha & Francis, 2015). Nevertheless, the federalists consistently championed for a
national bank and tariffs which lead to a strong and stable financial base. The majority of
federalists constituted of mainly businessmen. On the other hand, antifederalists felt more
worried of the presidency position which majority of them anticipated would develop to be a

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monarchy. They thus opposed the amendment of the constitution which aimed at giving the
national government more authority. Besides the monarchy of presidency due to the powers
attached to it, they too felt that the bill of rights was needed to be included in the constitution, the
current constitution had limited support to the courts hence an anticipation of a weak judicial
system and finally they believed that the common citizen would not benefit from the national
government since it would be far away hence their needs and desires would not be heard or
satisfied by the same strong national government.
Additionally, a good number of people were of the thought that the government was
doing good (nationalism mentality). As it is widely known that the united states was founded by
the great Britain, most of its residents identified themselves with Britain till late 18th century
when the sense of being American arose (Webber, Carolyn & Aaron, 2010). This brought about
issues such as taxation i.e. the widely opposed taxation of the united citizens without
presentation which lead to a conclusion that it was strictly the US colonial legislatures rather
than the parliament which was based in Britain that was mandated with the duty of passing taxes.
This was later preceded by independence of the United States together with availing of the
national flag which significantly expressed the American nationalism spirit. Majority of the
Americans expressed great loyalty to the state in comparison to the nation as a result of the weak
newly created nation which was governed by a weak national government. Eventually, American
civic nationalism was formed as an act which was aimed at promoting national unity through
uniting various ethnic groups into a single nationality (Rohr & John, 2013). This resulted to the
American citizens possessing the feeling that the government was performing a good task to the
entire nation or state at large.

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In contrary, there existed a group which considered themselves ‘the less fortunate’ and
their pleas are never listened to or heard by the government since they lack a voice from the
same government. Majority of them included women, natives, slaves and the physically
challenged persons (Zinn & Howard, 2015). This was evident since they were not actively
represented within the government and were additionally affected by the activities that the
government engaged in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the growth of the federal government has led to various advancement in
the democracy and economic development within the United States in general. This is evident in
delivery of service at the door step of common citizens through devolution of power and national
resources from the national government to the local government which is based closer to the
citizens unlike the previous historical mode of ruling where there existed a powerful national
government which could not satisfy all the citizens despite enabling a strong economy which
only benefitted the business class and the rich in the society in general (Fridmann, Milton &
Anna, 2010). Nevertheless, growth of the federal government facilitated a wide range of
American citizens’ participation in the ruling of the government. This has eventually resulted to
all citizens taking part in the government activities hence full representation of all categories of
the citizens hence addressing and advancing issues relating to democracy.

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References
Friedman, Milton, and Anna Jacobson Schwartz. A monetary history of the United States, 1867-
1960. Princeton University Press, 2010.
Prucha, Francis Paul. The great father: the United States government and the American Indians.
Vol. 1. U of Nebraska Press, 2015.
Rohr, John Anthony. To run a constitution: The legitimacy of the administrative state. University
Press of Kansas, 2013.
Spring, Joel. Deculturalization and the struggle for equality: A brief history of the education of
dominated cultures in the United States. Routledge, 2016.
Webber, Carolyn, and Aaron B. Wildavsky. A history of taxation and expenditure in the Western
world. Simon & Schuster, 2010.
Zinn, Howard. A people's history of the United States: 1492-present. Routledge, 2015.