us history 2

The role of the federal government in the lives of the American people changed dramatically from the time of the country’s founding to the present. Initially, the federal government maintained a limited presence in the daily lives of most people. Often, state and local governments were far more prominent and exercised greater autonomy then exercised today. As time progressed, the role and influence of the federal government became more prominent. Examples of expansion in federal authority are evident in events surrounding the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Progressive Era, the Great Depression, and the Civil Rights Era.  

• Identify and describe two (2) examples of U.S. federal government expansion of authority between the beginning of the U.S. Civil War and the end of the Civil Right Era. 
• These examples must be placed in the context political economic and social developments in the United States.

Format your response using APA document guidelines, to include a title page, abstract page, content, and reference page. Citations and references should use APA style standards.

The following grading criteria will apply to this assignment:

Grading Criteria
45%	The learner identifies four (4) examples of U.S. authority expansion between the time of the U.S. Civil War and the end of the Civil Right Era.
50%	The learner describes how the examples demonstrate influence on the development of political, social, and economic structures in the U.S.
5%	The learner properly utilizes APA document, citation and reference format.

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The Era of the Enlightenment influenced nearly every aspect of modern American society. In America, Enlightenment ideas expressed by writers and leaders such as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson still shape modern political arrangements, social organization, and economic structures. The United States became a nation during the height of the Enlightenment, and it is manifestly an expression of Enlightenment ideas concerning government, society and economy. From the Declaration of Independence, drafted in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson, some of the ideals of the Enlightenment are expressed in the phrase “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Part 1

• Discuss the ways in which Enlightenment ideas shaped the political, economic, or social institutions of the United States.

Part 2

• Are these ideas still relevant to modern American society?

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