Answer

Changes and Challenges brought by the Growing Power of the American Government

            The growing power of the American government brought about numerous changes as well as challenges. The key challenges include displacement of Indians by White settlers and increasing dependence on the government trough monthly hand-outs, money and other benefits such as clothes. In addition, the Indigenous populations experienced increased loss of power and increased dependence on the government (Roark et al. 252-3). Conversely, the American government continued to acquire more land mass, natural resources, and power of control from the Indigenous populations. In addition, a major change was observed in which the government became increasingly non-dependent on the motherland, Britain (Roark et al. 249). The growing American power was met by challenges such as the widening political divide between Federalists and Democrats, the Whiskey rebellion, anti-war and pro-war factions following the capture of American merchant ships by France in 1798, the capture of the ships created a major crisis over fears of sedition, militarism, and fear of treason (Roark et al. 258). Federalism has led to shift in American domestic and foreign policy. Domestically, the United States had initiated a defence policy that allowed for creation of a large strong army as influenced by events that were occurring outside the country, especially the capture of American merchant ships. Americans were made to believe that they were in a quasi-war with France. Fortunately, the quasi war subsided in 1799 when the United States and France held in peace negotiations (Roark et al. 261). In addition, debt crisis and budgetary deficits made the government to heavily tax its citizens leading to the Whisky rebellion (Washington Para. 1). Another important domestic policy was the passage of The Bill of Rights in 1789 (Roark et al. 241). In terms of the foreign policy, federalist refused to pay a substantial bride to the French government in order for the captured ships to be released. This came to be known as the XYZ affair. This affair made pro-French republicans to reconsider their position. The US government repealed all the treaties that they had signed with France (Roark et al. 259).  Another foreign policy was that United States had direct influence on Britain’s making of foreign policies as well as shaping Britain’s commercial interests (Roark et al. 261).