Chapter 4 Notes Origins of the Government Our government system evolved over times No government period 1776 to 1850 Municipal Government Period 1850 1895 o Articles of confederation states were very strong federal gov t couldn t do anything if the states said no States had counties whatever government you want you went to the county to get the services that you want o Period of county government o Rural low population o Self Dependence o The best government was the least government o Traditional government kept records birth whenever you felt like stopping by ownership of property protected property Government stayed out of marriages o Didn t know how to read or write no public schools o Can t go back to this period of government because of how our population and government is today o Cities became strong the services the states gave was insufficient More people lived in cities the more power the city government had It also became very corrupt and states had to step in States were not providing the same benefits and services and there were different areas where the states were insuffient States become immobilized due to crises and the federal government and the federal government did help but then they never stepped out o Influx of European immigrants to cities causing congestion Famines Irish potato famine different parts of Europe had different political upheavals which is why they came to cities No more free land so people had to live in cities Cities were unclean and unsanitary o Services for water sewage waste crime health codes building codes mass education If you live in a city there is no more privacy for sewage like in the country Crime increases immigrants have to survive if they couldn t get jobs and learned to steal Health codes people made money by boarders People are going to spread diseases thanks to close quarters Building codes many buildings were built improperly and had to be fixed for safety Mass education Children are free and want to put them in schools so they can learn English and be productive o Municipal government provided services o With each wave of immigrants that came there were resentments because of all these issues and competition One of the first services that was created was fire services because back then houses were made of wood and next to each other and if there was a fire the whole town would get wiped out It was the 1 most important service Couldn t live with the fact that you had to rebuild a town each time why not have pipes of water to each house instead of one pump asked government to pay Taxing the people came up by property tax people who rent rooms pay property tax o Eventually these people became corrupt the police wouldn t walk block if they weren t paid pay offs prevalent All the city workers became corrupt o Ward heelers can t speak languages so people want to be around people who speak their own language City politicians would help immigrants coming in need housing then job then after that kids in school Ward heelers provide services to new services Get votes in return Had symbols for the elections because people couldn t read or write so immigrants could vote for ward heelers and gave ballots to people to put in ballot boxes These people are going to get elected and reelected over and over again they become more and more corrupt These people complain to the state government that their cities are corrupt business owners appealed to the state because any time they had any revenue the city or gangsters would take their money State Interity Government Period 1895 1932 o Political corruption in cities cities couldn t work out their own issues o Dillion s rule Local government is a creation of the state government so therefore cities have to comply with state statutes State regulations supersede common laws States regulate elections Instead of candidates providing ballots the state government provides ballots Instead of symbols people have to put down their names started the secret ballot Australian ballot pull over the curtain and vote and no one knows who you voted for System was started in Australia Non partisan elections which is why cities have non partisan elections One problem is that many old supporters don t see symbols and don t know who to vote for which pried away the powers of ward heelers who had no control over the illiterate immigrants Hire people based on their loyalties and not qualifications Now there are job descriptions and requirements thanks to reform With all these reforms cities became better Less corruption and cities have to comply with the regulations that the states propose Cities can t create laws that are against state laws State Regulations supersede common laws Federal government Era 1932 to the Present o Great Depression and World War II o Late 1920s early business was good everyone was making a lot of money Great Gatsby era Toward the end of the 20s the business cycle began to roll down prior to that there was the Great Dustbowl era where the farmers were hurting Farming was hurting stock market hurt Herbert Hoover took office when the economy went down During this era everyone was an economic conservative only thing that they know A lot of people got rich being bootleggers selling alcohol during prohibition when the government tried to regulate behavior Great Depression came Hoover said that this was just a part of the economic cycle and didn t regulate anything Thought light at the end of the tunnel did nothing and certain points of the country had unemployment from 20 50 unemployment Farmers couldn t pay for the equipment and had to declare bankruptcy Good news for Texas because Texas wasn t affected much because of oil People came to the state to work for the oil industry People were promised bonuses after WWI and they went to the government and Hoover said no Hoovervilles popped up because so many people did not have housing Hoover tried some programs but it was too little too late 1932 was election Hoover was a smart man and good in terms of solving problems but his hands were tied because he believed that the economy would right itself Roosevelt promised people a New Deal elect me bring the country to new heights By 1932 the states were paralyzed couldn t do anything for the people and states can t borrow money so states lay off workers More and more people became unemployed FDR took over control in 1933 the first thing he did was close the banks Declared a four day bank holiday first
View Full Document
Unlocking...