Question of Sovereignty, A: Great Society Increases Size of the Federal Government
The Great Society initiatives of Lyndon Johnson's administration tripled the number of federal programs and further tilted the balance of power toward the federal government. Politicians from the South and from conservative Republican areas were con...
Other America, The: Eisenhower Republicanism
Eisenhower is one of the most popular and least experienced presidents of the 20th century. His cabinet is dominated by leaders from the world of business who want, like their president, to return America to its private enterprise roots. Eisenhower ...
Party Politics: Evolution of the Democrat and Republican Parties
Republicans and Democrats of today bear little resemblance to their predecessors. From the time of Lincoln until the 1930s, Republicans were the great reformers who believe in active government whereas Democrats with their base support in the South ...
Living Constitution, The: Way of Limiting Power, A
The Framers confined the scope of government to Constitutional grants of power. Authority not granted to government by the Constitution is, in theory, denied to it. The national army is an example of how power was constrained. The powers of governme...
Living Constitution, The: Dividing Sovereign Powers Between State and Federal Governments
Power was divided not only among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government, but between federal and state governments. Federalism is a kind of political competition where the national government and the states vie to attract th...
Right Turn: Supply-side Economics
Reagan assumes the presidency at a time when the country is in economic crisis. During the campaign he had introduced his solution--supply-side-economics. With conservative backing, the Reagan administration decides to accept unemployment at a certa...
Balancing Act: Historical Relationship between the U. S. Government and the Nation's Economy
Government maintained a hands-off policy toward business and the economy for much of its early history. But in the early part of the 20th century it became more involved, breaking up trusts and establishing the Federal Reserve as the central bank fo...
The Nation's Welfare: Welfare Reform
Congress responded to public pressure to reduce federal involvement in welfare programs by passing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act just prior to the 1996 election. This legislation replaced AFDC with a more limited program known...
World of Uncertainty: Clinton, Triumphant and Embattled
Bill Clinton rebounds from the mid-term defeat and is in a commanding position to win re-election. His greatest strength is the success of the economy and the reduction of the federal deficit. Conservatives argue that social legislation had only inc...
World of Uncertainty: Republican Revival, The
Newt Gingrich, a brilliant partisan strategist, orchestrates mid-term victories for Republicans. Major reductions in the federal government are proposed including cabinet departments, federal agencies, and entitlement programs to help finance cuts i...