The United States National Government - 1804 Words

In recent decades of the technological era we are seeing an increasing scope of the United States’ national government. Economic intervention, welfare services and homeland security were never planned to be a part of the national government’s agenda. These programs naturally became rolls of the federal government as time has passed through the needs of the people. The national government has drastically changed over the past 200 years since the original design. During the civil war and following the great depression the federal government took a major leap in the balance of power. The country was in a fragile state during both of these time periods and the country called for immediate action. This could only be done with the use of†¦show more content†¦Today, we categorize those who supported ratification of the Constitution and the federal government as the Federalist. Those who opposed it are known as the Anti-Federalist. The Anti-Federalist feared that this new government design would be too powerful and tyrannical just like the monarch of Great Britain. Instead they supported local, state governments. The Federalist wrote series of papers known as the Federalist Papers, in which they responded to the concerns of the Anti-Federalist. Many times disproving claims of tyranny. In the 69th Federalist Paper, Alexander Hamilton addresses the concern of the presidential powers, â€Å"†¦the President will resemble equally that of the king of Great Britain and of the governor of New York† (1788). The federalist believed that the national government should hold authority in most matters, like that of a king. At the same time there would be checks and balances on the president just like a governor. The Federalist did not want a tyrannical government, and believed that the Constitution would protected them from such. A compromise had to be made to determine the fate of the United States. To resolve their differences, the Anti-Federalist drafted a list of rights protecting all citizens, now more commonly known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights secured the rights of citizens, while also limiting the scope of the national government under the 10th amendment. The framers designed a government able