Beginning in the late nineteenth to twentieth century, the role of the American federal government with regards to involvement in the lives of its citizens has greatly been magnified. There are quite a number of factors responsible for this occurrence. A lot of social and political reforms took place during this period. Some of them are the establishment of progressivism and the rise of the progressive party, The Populist Party, the New Deal program during the presidency of FDR, and Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society.” During the mid to late nineteenth century, farmers faced a lot of hardships in America. Populism came as a solution to the issues of the American farmer. However, it is important to note that before the …show more content…
Some of the programs established during this period like AAA, NRA, FERA, TVA, CCC, and WPA were created to provide jobs for millions of Americans. Social security was also created to provide welfare to many Americans. A lot of the reforms that took place during these periods—populism, progressivism, and the New Deal, still have a lot of influence in the lives of Americans today. Social security still continues to provide welfare to the elderly and Medicaid and Medicare provide health insurance to low-income families and the elderly. Most reforms that took place during that time still affect American lives today. When the recession hit in 2008 and families did not have money to feed themselves, the federal government was able to send out stipends of about $600 to most families. This type of government intervention would not have been possible during Herbert Hoover’s administration, and without the support of progressives. These reforms that occurred during the great period of activism in America is still greatly beneficial to America