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Articles of Confederation
During the Revolutionary War, the second Continential Congress appointed a commitee to establish a new government in favor of the states. The government did not have the power over interstate commerce, regulation of taxes, or the soverignty of the states -
Constitution
The Constitution created three branches of government; the executive, legislative, and judicial to deal with presidentcy, lawaking, and court power respectively. This new government has much more power over the states, which are no longer soverign, and has a Bill of Rights for the protection of the people from government. -
Louisianna Purchase
President Thomas Jefferson buys the Lousianna Territory from France for about three cents per acre. Jefferson was torn between his strict-constitutional views and loose constitutional interpretation in the acquiring of land. He did however go against his views even though it does not say in the Constitution that a President can buy land from another country. Jefferson is expanding preidental power over the other branches and expanding the role of the federal government. -
Homestead Act
Government giveaway of federal land. Gave 160 acres for each man for $10 and the land was theirs if they could live on the land for 5 years. Government or public giveaway of land instead of private selling of land in the West, which expanded the role of the government to land sales. The act failed miserably, with fraud running rampant and the land being incredibly inadequate to farm. -
Civil Rights Act
Granted Equal accommodations in public places and prohibited racial discrimination in jury selection. Law rendered useless by Civil Rights cases (1883) in which the 14th amendment prohibited only government violations of civil rights, not individual. -
Chineses Exclusion Act
Limited the influx of Chinese immigrants in the United States until 1943. First bill that regulated immigration of a particular ethnic or regional group. Congress had to wait for Preisdent Hayes to leave office to finally pass and approve the bill. -
Interstate Commerce Act
Prohibited rebates and pools and required the railroads to publish their rates openly. It also forbade unfair discrimination against shippers and outlawed charging more for a short haul for a long haul. It marked the first government intervention of trade, transportation, and businesses. Set up the Interstae Commerce Commision, which proved ineffective in administering or enforcing new legislation. ICC mostly stabalized the existing business system, not revolutionizing the system. -
Roosevelt Corollary
This was an extension of the Monroe doctrine that stated that the United States of America was in control and was the dominant force within the western hemisphere. It stated that Europe could not control nations in the western hemisphere and stated that the United States could interfere with all the nations within the western hemisphere if they felt it was necessary to do so to help keep them out of control of European nations. This was a huge expansion in the federal government’s foreign policy -
Federal Reserve Act
President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the most important economic legislation between the Civil War and the New Deal. It Federal Reserve Board oversaw a nationwide system of 12 regional reserve districts, each with its own central bank. It also helped regulate currency by releasing paper money and lent money to banks and acted as the "Banker's Bank." This law helped carry the US through the economic turmoil of WWI and create significant progress toward modern economic age. -
Gold Reserves Act
This act was instituted to benefit the nation in escaping the depression. This act took all the gold and placed it in the national treasury under federal control. It then took the nation off the gold standard. This was beneficial during the depression because it allowed for more money to be printed and used throughout the nation to benefit the poor people of society and distribute more money for the people.
