Analyze The Role Of The Federal Government In The 1800's
779 Words4 Pages
The federal government’s role expanded in people’s lives from 1877 to 1920 because the American public wanted reform and they believed that the government was the best way to ensure this reform. The power of the government changed as America became more industrialized and as it entered WWI. The government played a little role in people’s lives around the 1800’s, but that started to change once America started to become more industrialized. The idea at the time was laissez-faire, which is when the government will not be involved in the capitalist market. When monopolies began to form, most of the power remained in the hands of the rich businessman as they had the means to influence politicians and this power led to lots of abuse by businesses. During the late 1800’s, the federal government was only involved in the people’s lives when it benefitted the businessmen and not the working class. For example, the federal government became involved during the Homestead Battle when the militia was called in…show more content… The Dawes Act allowed the president to “buy” Native American land whenever he wants and the only way the Native Americans can hold onto their land is by giving up their culture. This was essentially an attack on the culture and structure of the Native American tribal society. The role of the government drastically changes with the election of Theodore Roosevelt in 1901. Roosevelt expanded the role of the executive branch of the government and started targeting businessmen. He targeted Northern Securities Co., owned by JP Morgan, and told Morgan to break up his company to stop his monopoly. He sued Morgan in federal court and won which resulted in other companies falling into line with Roosevelt’s policies. Roosevelt also passed the Meat Inspection Act and the Food Inspection Act in response to public anger over the abuse of food, further interfering with