The federal system of the United States of America is very important in outlining the history of the United States of America. This country has undergone a lot of political changes from the date of the formation of the government (Lawrence 13). It should be noted that this form of government was formed with a lot of critics from the opposition side. However, the proposers of this system seemed to be more powerful to advocate for it. Even at the time of the civil war, the federal system still existed in the United States of America. The constitution of this country played a great role in the formation of a government.
It is important to analyze the history of the federal system since the civil war. This is because the war affected the lives of many Americans. The American civil war started in the year 1861 (Lawrence 17). In the previous year, there were presidential elections that had a lot of controversies with regard to the federal system of government. At this time, Abraham Lincoln was the head of the Republican Party. In what was perceived a very competitive run for presidency, Abraham got majority of the votes and was crowned the president of the United States. There were some people who were not happy about this. This was the opposite of how the republicans felt. They were very happy that their issues would now be solved without much problem.
During this war, various groups had varying opinions regarding the federal government. For instance, around 25 states were in support of this system of the government (Daniel 9). At this point, the federal system was termed as the union since it consisted of members of various states who were united together as one group. During the period of the civil war, there were two systems; the confederacy and the union. The first system was formed by eleven states in which slavery was prevalent. The union, on the other hand, was formed by states that were in support of the existing form of government. Abraham was very determined to curb slavery in the states that were affected. The secessions that were formed during this period are the ones that caused the civil war.
It was obvious that slavery was another reason that triggered the American civil war. The major reason for this is that there were people who supported it while others did not. Most of the people who did not support slavery were blacks. Some whites supported slavery since they benefited a lot from it. The supporters and the non-supporters fought for this issue, which led to the shed of blood by most participants. The civil war lasted for four years (Martin 10). It will remain to be one of the most rememberable moments of the history of the United States. The civil war led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of the residents and soldiers of the United States of America.
After the civil war, the federal government came up with ways to reconstruct the destroyed assets of the country. According to the then financial analysts, the reconstruction would take a lot of resources like money, time and building materials. This government had to find a way to cater for the welfare of the people who had been freed from slavery. These people were blacks and most of them had nowhere to live. The government had to find the solution to this situation. In addition to the problem of housing, some of the ex-slaves also experienced hunger.
After the civil war, the federal government entered into many contracts regarding the expansion of the west. One of the most memorable expansions that happened in this part was the transcontinental railroad. Some of the constructions that had taken place in these areas made the government to displace some Indians who were living in the expansion area (Daniel 19). This later led to the emergence of the Indian wars. Although there were many people who were killed in these wars, there was a lot of infrastructure development that had taken place in the affected areas.
During the period of the gilded age, there was a lot of expansion that had taken place. This expansion was in terms of the economy and the wealth of the American nation. This was the period around 1890s. At this time, the gold standard was one of the forms of monetary exchange in the United States of America. In 1900, the country gained recognition from the international environment for having a very stable and prosperous economy.
After the gilded age, the federal government made some amendments in the constitution that affected the income of many Americans. One of the policies that were passed was the federal tax policy. In this policy, people who earned income were required to pay tax to the government (Patrick 15). Although this lowered the income of most workers, the federal government gained through increase in revenue. During this period, the senators were elected directly. The federal government also took active part in the World War 1. It set out foreign policies that governed the way it would relate with foreign countries.
During the great depression, the federal government promised the citizens that it would reshape the economic situation facing the country (Daniel 22). During this period, there was a new deal that was bonded through a coalition movement. The new coalition regulated the country’s economy, which helped to restore the economic performance of the country. The federal government also made a series of decisions regarding the fights made in the Second World War.
Currently, the federal system of this country constitutes of the legislative, judiciary as well as the executive. The Supreme Court is the top most court in the judiciary system. There are certain laws that have helped in shaping the federal system.
1. The Inauguration of the constitution
The constitution is the supreme law of the land. Before a new constitution was formed, the United States operated under the articles of confederation. However, this was not effective since the federal government that had been formed from these articles was weak. This drove the desire to institute a new constitution. This did not come easily since there were some people who did not like the aspects contained in the new constitution (Martin 29). However, the supporters were powerful enough to pass the constitution into law. This constitution then became the root of the formation of the federal government. One good about it is that it is subject to amendments. All the actions made by the federal government should be constitutional. More so, any new law formed must be incorporated in accordance to this constitution.
2. The common law
This is a law in the United States of America that uses the rule of precedence. This means that courts arrive at their decisions in relation to the previous cases that are similar in nature. This has helped to shape the federal court system since most of the cases that have been judged in courts can be still be used as reference for future cases. This system can also be known as stare decisis.
3. The Federal Law
This law originates from the constitution. In this law, the congress can put into place statutes that are meant to regulate commerce between the various states of the country. This power comes from the constitution. The federal law is very important since it covers most of the aspects of commerce which are important in improving the economy of the country (Martin 35). Some of the aspects include tariffs, telecommunications, foreign affairs, aviation, money and tariffs. The federal law therefore enables the federal government to form policies that regard commerce and trade.
Conclusively, the history of the federal government has shown how various laws have been formed. It has also shown the evolution of the federal system in terms of policies and amendments of acts. However, the constitution has still remained the supreme law in the country. The constitution has enabled the federal government to carry out most of its vital functions. Some of the actions made by the federal government become controversial since some people think that they were unconstitutional. Finally, everybody should respect the constitution since it gives the relevant authorities the power to make statutes, laws, amendments and government policies.
References
Lawrence M. A History of American Law. New York: Touchstone. 2011. Print.
Daniel A. Judgment Calls: Principle and Politics in Constitutional Law. New York: Oxford University Press. 2008. Print.
Martin K. The Federal Government of the United States. London. Palgrave Macmillan. 2009. Print.
Patrick M. A Review of the History of the United States. New York. Mcgrade. 2010. Print.
