Introduction
The structure of the American government consists of three branches: the executive, legislature, and judiciary. The executive branch is headed by a governor whom the people directly elect. Other executive branch leaders include the attorney general, lieutenant general, secretary of state, commissioners, and auditors. The judicial branch is responsible for deciding whether a piece of law is constitutionally compliant, as well as its interpretation and practical application. The Supreme Court of the United States is part of the judicial branch.
The legislative branch entails elected representatives responsible for creating legislations that become the law. The powers of Congress are indicated in Article I Section 8, which encompasses various areas. These areas include spending and taxing, controlling foreign and interstate commerce, borrowing and coining money, maintaining the navy and the army, and declaring war. Congress consequently has a great authority to delegate most of its powers to the president and the administrative agencies. Specific legislation pieces, including the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, the Compromise of 1850, The New Deal, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, govern these three branches and have affected the American government.
The Federal Reserve Act of 1913
A banking system is significant for every nation, which means that the United States deservedly draws sufficient attention to governing this sphere. The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 emerged against significant historical events. The country was forced to overcome the negative effects of the 1907 financial crisis, which was a challenging task without a central bank (Sastry 8). That is why legislators needed to develop their central bank, and the process took many months. J. P. Morgan, C. Glass, and P. M. Warburg played essential roles in passing the legislation piece.
It is challenging to overestimate the significance of the selected legislation piece. The Federal Reserve System emerged to unify the American banking system. This legislature also introduced Federal Reserve notes that became a new and flexible currency based on commercial paper and gold (Sastry 5). Federal Reserve Act of 1913 had universal power, which denoted that its regulations were obligatory for state and local governments. All this information allows for supposing that the legislation piece under analysis had a significant impact on the nation. It established a powerful financial system that would allow the country to overcome future economic challenges and become the leading economic power in the world by the 21st century.
The Compromise Act of 1850
Slavery is one of the delicate issues that have occurred in American history. Thus, it is not surprising that a few prominent legislation pieces governed the sphere, and the Compromise Act of 1850 was among them. The law emerged because it was necessary to manage the balance between free and slave states in the US Senate after California expressed the desire to join the Union as a free state (Drexler par. 2). The process of getting the legislation passed was challenging because the American policymakers of that time did not have consensus regarding the future of slavery. However, the Compromise Act of 1850 satisfied California’s request and abolished the slave trade in Washington, DC, to maintain the balance (Drexler par. 2). The legislation also resolved a boundary dispute between New Mexico and Texas as well as established territorial governments in New Mexico and Utah (Drexler par. 2). This Act led to positive results because it made another step to ban slavery and resolved territorial disputes between different states. The information above demonstrates that the legislation piece provided state and local governments with specific regulations to address topical issues.
The New Deal
The Great Depression was among the most significant challenges in US history, and it is exciting that the nation managed to overcome the issue. The New Deal played an essential role in promoting economic recovery. Numerous spheres, including agriculture, employment, waterpower, and financing, required improvements, and President Franklin Roosevelt addressed them. The New Deal was Roosevelt’s promise taken from his nomination speech in 1932 (Schearer 5). The given legislation was positively appraised by the public and other policymakers, which denotes that it was quickly and easily passed. Consequently, Roosevelt implemented many of his actions in the first 100 days of his presidency.
It is reasonable to highlight multiple positive effects of the New Deal. For example, the legislation piece established minimum wages, minimum prices, maximum working hours, and centralized control over the economy (Schearer 13). The law also addressed the banking sphere and provided individual banks with assistance and specific regulations that allowed them to recover from the Great Depression and keep operating. Even though the selected legislation was created for the entire nation, states received particular powers. In particular, local governments could deal with “price controls, interference in existing contracts, and minimum wage laws” (Schearer 18). Thus, the combination of strict rules and flexibility resulted in the fact that the United States quickly and effectively overcame the Great Depression consequences.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a significant attempt to stop racial and religious discrimination in the United States. In 1963, President Kennedy highlighted the necessity of promoting equality in the US (National Archives, par. 2). President Johnson signed this Act into law in 1964 to ban racial segregation in public places and workplace discrimination (National Archives, par. 3). Even though this legislation piece implied positive consequences, its passage was challenging. Various policymakers from the Senate and the House of Representatives acted against the Act, but senators from Minnesota and Illinois helped overcome the opposition (National Archives, par. 5). Public support also played an essential role in promoting the legislation’s passage, and it is reasonable to highlight the importance of the March on Washington.
There is no doubt that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a significant step toward eliminating racial segregation in the United States. It is possible to suggest that this legislation contributed to the fact that representatives of the racial and ethnic minorities would become fully-fledged members of society with all the civil rights and freedoms. The act impacted the state and local government by ensuring that it enhanced social and economic mobility across the nation and banned discrimination against low-income families and African-Americans.
Analysis and Conclusion
It is possible to state that the four legislation pieces have similarities and differences. On the one hand, they are similar because they significantly impacted the nation and contributed to numerous developments and improvements. On the other hand, differences are numerous and require more attention. All these legislation pieces had various prerequisites that contributed to their passage. Simultaneously, the Compromise Act of 1850 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 focused on racism and equality, while the New Deal and the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 considered economic issues. While the New Deal was quickly passed, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Compromise Act of 1850 witnessed much opposition. Furthermore, the New Deal provided local governments with broad powers, while the other legislation pieces did not cover it. In any case, one should admit that the four legislation pieces were essential since they addressed important issues and contributed to the nation’s development.
Works Cited
Drexler, Ken. “Compromise of 1850: Primary Documents in American History.” Library of Congress, 2019. Web.
National Archives. “Civil Rights Act (1964)”. 2022.
Sastry, Parinitha. “The Political Origins of Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act.” Economic Policy Review, no. 24-1, 2018, pp. 1-33.
Schearer, Michael. “The Impact of the New Deal on Economic Liberties During the Great Depression.” SSRN, 2021. Web.