Analysis of the Changing Role of the Federal Government in US History

This essay examines the evolving role of the federal government in the United States from 1877 to 2001. It begins by defining federalism and tracing the shift from dual to cooperative federalism, highlighting the influence of the Progressive movement and President Roosevelt's New Deal during the Great Depression. The essay further explores the impact of World War II, which led to increased expectations of the government in ensuring social welfare. Finally, it discusses how events like the 9/11 attacks reshaped the federal government's role in homeland security and national defense. The essay references key historical periods and policies to illustrate the dynamic nature of the federal government's responsibilities in response to social, economic, and political changes.

Running head: CHANGING ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN U.S
CHANGING ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN U.S
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1CHANGING ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN U.S
Federalism is the system of power division between different units of the government.
(Gerston 2015).The change in the domestic power and responsibilities of the federal government
has been dynamic. The structure of the federal government has moved away from the “dual
federalism” which refers to the separate sets of responsibilities for the federal and state
government to the “cooperative federalism”. Post 1945 the federal structure changed that
entrusted the federal and states units intertwined responsibilities (Kincaid 2017). Post-1960, role
and responsibilities of the states and the federal government were difficult to separate as they
shared the idea that states have equal power and responsibility with the federal government. As a
result, after the 1970s there is the growth of "New Federalism" introduced by President Ronald
Reagan (1981-1989) referring to the idea that states can claim certain rights and responsibilities
by acknowledging the federal government as their highest government (Kincaid 2017).
The Progressive movement in the U.S was a social activism movement that
concentrated on weeding out corruption from the political machinery and the problems that the
society faced. (DeWitt 2017). This activism challenged the authority of the government at
Washington and questioned their basis of governance. It achieved strong support during the
Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, who took up the issue on a national scale and promoted the
cause of urban miseries (DeWitt 2017). The federal government has worked as a powerful tool in
developing ideas of the society whether it is Democratic or Republic party in power. The Great
Depression of 1930 has had a profound impact on the style of working of the federal
government. Increasing unemployment, industrial productivity decline led to a proactive role of
the U.S government. The federal government adopted a dynamic mode of operation to lift the
country from economic crises and depression Roosevelt’s “New Deal” program) (Temin 2016).
However, this situation was again aggravated by the inception of World War II. Post World

2CHANGING ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN U.S
War U.S emerged victorious (Bbc.co.uk, 2018). This gave an idea to the citizens about the
proactive role of the government, which will ensure the social welfare of people and eradicate all
injustices from society. The Social movement of the 1960s led to pressurisation on the
government at all levels. From the social issues to national security threats like 9/11 attack on
New York, the federal government’s role has changed time-to-time (Belfer Center for Science
and International Affairs, 2018).The government in Washington strengthened its homeland
security and declared “War on Terrorism”. From the period of 1877 until 2001, the role of the
federal government has changed overtime keeping in mind the social, democratic, political and
international scenarios in mind.

3CHANGING ROLE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN U.S
References
Bbc.co.uk, 2018. BBC - History: World War Two. [online] Bbc.co.uk. Available at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ [Accessed 12 Dec. 2018].
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, S. 2018. After the 9/11 Disaster:
Washington's Struggle to Improve Homeland Security. [online] Belfer Center for Science and
International Affairs. Available at: https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/after-911-disaster-
washingtons-struggle-improve-homeland-security [Accessed 12 Dec. 2018].
DeWitt, B.P., 2017. The progressive movement: A non-partisan comprehensive discussion of
current tendencies in American politics. Routledge.
Gerston, L.N., 2015. American Federalism: A concise introduction. Routledge.
Kincaid, J., 2017. The Eclipse of Dual Federalism by One-Way Cooperative Federalism. Ariz.
St. LJ, 49, p.1061.
Temin, P., 2016. Great Depression. In Banking Crises (pp. 144-153). Palgrave Macmillan,
London.