What was the greatest impact on the United States government?

Question

This is for a class (American Government).

I need facts not opinions.

Answer 1

To the person who answered about atom bombs:

It's amazing how little history they teach in schools now.  Ask your grandparents who were living back during the time they dropped the atom bombs on Japan, and see if they felt bad about it.  

Read up on how Japan had invaded Korea and China, had put so many peoples in death camps, made them slave labor.  Learn how Japan was killing people nearly a decade before the US even got in the war.  Learn what it was like for the Koreans and Chinese before you pity the poor Japanese.  

Learn something about history before you condemn someone.

Now......to answer your question, some would consider it when the Social Security Act was passed in early 1930's because many of the government's modern expansion can be traced back to that time.  Many feel the govt shouldn't be in the investment business like that.

But the real answer is the Civil War of 1860's.  The United States had been in existence for only barely 80 years, and had yet to deal with the situation of slavery, which was literally tearing the country apart.

The Civil War was fought to keep the Union together, or to let the states decide what they wanted to do.

A major concern for politics has always been--and always will be--how much power does the centralized federal govt have and how much do the states have?  Fighting the Civil War ended that question.  The South wanted states to have more power, to decide the slavery question.  The North fought to keep a stronger federal govt, and won.

Since then, the states rights have been subordinated to a stronger federal government, thereby setting the future of this country forever.

Equally important result from the Civil War was the status of black people, freeing them from southern plantations, so that they could now be considered for the first time as real people, not slaves.  It took over a hundred years for much of the racial troubles to be overcome, but that's why America is a living example.  America isn't perfect.  The consititution was written and designed to be adaptive, able to be fit to future troubles or needs.  So, with the Civil War, the status of the federal government and also the status of black people was settled once and for all.

Answer 2

When We dropped the atomic bombs on THe Japanese cities, nagasaki and hiroshima. It made the rest of the world see us as bullies. Everyone became critical of the us government.

Answer 3

The Civil War. It solidified the existence  of a  strong central government and made states right limited.

Answer 4

The Federalist Papers. Contained therein are the blueprints for the republican party. Keep the nation in debt to other countries so they won't attack us, maintain the a deficit so that no social programs are available for the common man. Keep the people ignorant so that they cannot see that their freedoms are taken away. Tax the lower class, eliminate the middle class, and promote the few wealthy so that they may remain in control.

Answer 5

Two and they both were caused by demographics The baby boom generation 40's to 50's and the baby bust that happened in the 70's. The most positive thing was the Founding Fathers that created the US Government.

Answer 6

(The person commenting on the dropping of the atomic bomb is uninformed.)  

Having said that, I believe the greatest impact on the U.S. government was the civil war.  Never before or after have disputes within the U.S. been played out in such a fashion.  The repercussions are with us still today.

Answer 7

Unfortunately, you'll get opinions - based on facts, but opinions none the less.

There have been many great impacts on the American government - slavery and states' rights to secession and the resultant Civil War, two World Wars, the Korean and Viet Nam Wars, the '29 stock market crash, Civil Rights, the present war on terror and many other examples.

Make your choice - I suspect that 10 different experts will yield at least 5 different picks.

Answer 8

There are two answers to your question. I will preface my remarks by stating that these two events caused structural change in American Institutions that are still trying to cope.  Without a doubt, 911 is one of the events that have caused the greatest impact. Civil liberties have been breached with the passage of the Patriot Act, the changes on the FISA Court, flight security the known threat of anthrax and other bio terrorist mischief and a 2 pronged 5 year war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States has never been at war for so long.

The second event that has the greatest impact during the same period is Hurricane Katrina. The Gulf coast remains decimated and may never come back to it's former glory. The ripple effect has been invalidated homeowners insurance, securities and exchange commission needing to exercise new regulations; and these natural disasters have been a trigger to the housing foreclosure issue. Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana. Thousands of people have been displaced and are now homeless.  These two events are the seminal events that have influenced the direction of this nation in the foreseeable future.  

Answer 9

The Constitution and the all the Amendments to it.

Answer 10

Taxing the people

Answer 11

The National Security Act. This would mean that anyone might face arrest if thought to be a risk to national security even someone in The Gov or a Gov Agent.

I think it was put to use in 1958 and at least two people The Rosenberg's were put to death under this act for selling state secrets according to the F.B.I.