Wilson Administrations - Changes in the U.S. Government
Changes in the U.S. Government
Prior to the first years of the twentieth century, most Americans continued to share the view of the nation's founders that large, powerful governments, such as Great Britain's during the American Revolution (1775–83), were an invitation to tyranny. But starting in the 1890s views began changing, as rural-based Populists, and later the more urban and well-educated Progressives, began boosting government as the only force that could stand up to the large industrial combines known as trusts.
Wilson fell within the Progressive camp. This is not to say that all his actions were in favor of larger government, but the overall trend of the Wilson administration was to increase the federal government's power. Wilson established the Federal Reserve Bank to bring order to the nation's money and banking system and to soften, or, better still, prevent altogether, "panics" such as that of 1907. The Federal...
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