Role of the federal Goverment on the lives of the American Citizens Research Paper

Role of the federal Goverment on the lives of the American Citizens - Research Paper Example Era of Civil War or Reconstruction (1860-1877) The American Civil war occurred in USA during 1861-1865. Simultaneously, a period of Reconstruction began during the Civil War and lasted till 1877, which represented one of the most controversial periods in the history of the nation. During this time, the US Federal Government’s role expanded in safeguarding the rights of the US citizens and ensuring financial and racial justice to the cosmopolitan American society. During this time, the Federal Government formulated new legislation and enacted some amendments in the American constitution. These brought about a permanent change in the system of governance and altered the features of US citizenship. In an unprecedented move, the Federal Government took over the fundamental duty of enumerating and safeguarding the civil rights of the American citizens. In the Southern US States, the African-American men were accorded the right to cast their votes and assume a position of political authority. This was not allowed in the days prior to the Civil War. As a result, the African American community in Southern states along with the white population exercised their voting authority to bring the Republican Party to power. The Federal Government had also banned the slavery system in the country which generated a huge influence in the lives of the American citizens (Foner & Mahoney, 1997). The African-American people, most of whom had been slaves formerly liberated themselves from the control of the whites and established their independence in various spheres of life. The Progressive Period (1910s) The Progressive period during the 1910s, represents an important chapter in American history which heralded the entry of the American political system into a developed industrial society. The USA, as a country was experiencing a major change in its national and international priorities and the Progressives demanded that the Federal Government was required to play a more active role in this context. Both the US presidents at that time: Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were influenced positively by the ideas of the Progressive strand of thought. They presented the office of the US President as the sole representative of the national interests of the American citizens. They criticized the role of the US Congress declaring that the legislative body only pursued materialistic interests. Therefore, the executive and the legislative branches of the US Government assumed a clear-cut division during this period. (Rae, 1998, p.7-9) The Era of New Deal (1932-1936) The significance of the US Federal Government again expanded during the period of the New Deal in the decade of the 1930s. The New Deal changed the traditional connection among the national government, the local state governments and the American private sector. During the period of the New Deal, the Federal Government assumed more responsibility in governing the economy. The American economy