Introduction
As the nation grapples with an increasing national debt in a world where rapid economic growth is no longer guaranteed to help us manage it, the cost of running the federal government is often called into question. Although many politicians have sought to cut spending by eliminating federal agencies and specific programs, few have succeeded in any significant way. This is because many agencies and their programs continue to perform the vital functions for which they were created.
To understand the size and scope of today’s federal government and the responsibilities it has undertaken, it might be best to think about American democracy as a grand, collective do-it-yourself project. The founding fathers had no blueprints for constructing the government we have today, nor was there an idiot’s guide to governance for them to reference. Instead, when they declared independence from England and realized that thirteen colonies acting as one would be more effective than if they acted separately, they drafted the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union to create, in a sense, the operating system of a new nation. The Articles of Confederation, as they were known, named the new nation the United States of America.
Unfortunately, the United States Version 1.0 didn’t work very well. While many of the nation’s founders saw the practicality of uniting to make war in defense of independence and liberty, they were reluctant to give up the autonomy of their states for a strong central government. As a result, the new federal government had little ability to enforce the few limitations it put on the states. And though the nation emerged from the Revolutionary War burdened with substantial debt the states had accumulated in order to fund the war effort, the government lacked the power to tax the states to pay it off.
Shays’ Rebellion in 1786-87 brought these problems to a head and led to the Constitutional Convention that replaced the Articles of Confederation with our current Constitution. The Constitution was the Version 2.0 upgrade that the United States needed to “form a more perfect union” – one that has lasted more than two centuries.
That willingness to adapt and improve our system of governance in the face of a changing economic and social landscape, often in the face of stubborn and sometimes violent opposition, is a persistent and distinguishing feature of American democracy.
In one of the most profound decisions in the nation’s history, one of the first acts of the new Congress in 1789 was to create a Department of the Treasury to manage the nation’s debt and strengthen the economy. This expansion of government authority stabilized the country and paved the way for successive administrations and congresses to address problems and opportunities with maximum financial flexibility. Yet, it was not a decision that was wholeheartedly embraced by all. In fact, it set the political forces of the country on a divided path that still resonates today – those who look to the government for solutions to systemic problems, and those who resist the primacy of federal authority over states’ rights. It is a frequent tension that has defined the country. Nevertheless, as Prof. Randall G. Holcombe has written, more often than not when confronted by the problems of the day, Congress has chosen to act in an ongoing effort to build that more perfect union.
Only a few weeks after creating the Treasury, Congress acted again to upgrade the nation’s system of government, creating the Bill of Rights. The nation’s first 10 amendments to the Constitution were ratified within two years. The United States of America, version 2.10.
The growth of the federal government is largely the story of how, at different times in our history, different systemic problems emerged that could not be fixed by market forces or state and local governments alone. Operating within the framework of the Constitution, the federal government often responded, and particularly in the late 1800s, began to accelerate the establishment of federal agencies to resolve those problems and move the nation forward.
Timeline: Growth of Government
This timeline includes only a sampling of the agencies and legislation that have contributed to the sprawling government we have today. The agencies and the services they offer were established for good reasons that should be remembered and debated in establishing a new set of national priorities that can guide policymakers towards a more resource-ready, sustainable democratic future.
1789
Department of the Treasury
Treasury grew out of early efforts to ensure proper and efficient handling of the national debt in the face of weak economic and political ties between the colonies. Over time, functions newly taken on by the federal government were often housed in Treasury initially and for long periods of time before being launched as independent organizations.
1862
Department of Agriculture
The US Department of Agriculture started as the Agriculture Division of the US Patent Office in 1839. It was established to address the diminishing productivity of America’s farmland. The division researched and eventually produced seeds that were more resilient and easier to grow in harsh conditions.
1887
Interstate Commerce Commission
As they spread westward in the mid-1800s, railroads often acquired monopolies that led to abusive market practices, including discrimination, collusion, and rate shifting that negatively affected farmers in the west and businessmen in the east. These two groups eventually lobbied the federal government for help. The Interstate Commerce Commission became the first regulatory agency in the US and was a model for those that came later.
1913
Department of Labor
The Department of Labor was created in response to the massive amount of economic and political power that large corporations had accumulated by the turn of the 20th century. This period of unchecked corporate wealth and power is known as the Gilded Age. Feeling that this power inherently threatened the rights and representation of workers, the American labor movement had repeatedly called for the voice of organized labor to be represented in the President’s executive Cabinet.
1913
The Federal Reserve
Repeated and dramatic economic panics in the preceding decades led to the creation of The Federal Reserve, designed to be a central authority equipped to manage and stabilize the national economy. In particular, the Panic of 1907 caused many to recognize the need for an independent and reliable organization to support greater economic stability.
1914
Federal Trade Commission
Despite passage of the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, anti-competitive activities persisted, including monopolistic mergers, price-fixing, bid rigging, and false and deceptive advertising. Creation of the FTC culminated a steady demand by the public and business for protection from the anti-competitive practices of a few large companies in several prominent industries.
1930
Food and Drug Administration
Congress created the Food and Drug Administration to prevent the sale and distribution of consumable products deemed so harmful as to be a public health hazard. These included foods processed in unsanitary conditions and substances sold as medicines or drugs that were either ineffective or actively dangerous.
1934
Securities and Exchange Commission
The Securities and Exchange Commission was created to protect investors; maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and facilitate capital formation. The initial laws granting it authority over publicly held companies helped restore the public’s trust in the economy.
1970
Environmental Protection Agency
The industrial age brought great advances in standard of living, but also produced downsides that Congress tried to address over decades. Finally, under President Nixon, Congress established the Environmental Protection Agency to consolidate an array of long-standing and new federal environmental responsibilities under one organization in order to more efficiently and effectively coordinate federal activity.
1979
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency was created during the Carter administration as state governors began to call for greater leadership and coordination by the federal government to improve response to natural and man-made disasters. A pattern emerged in which FEMA has thrived under Democratic presidents and received heavy criticism under Republican presidents.
Sources
The URLs included with the sources below were good links when we published. However, as third party websites are updated over time, some links may be broken. We do not update these broken links. If you are interested in the source, it may be possible to find it by copying and pasting the URL into a search on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. From the search results, be sure to choose a date near the accessed date.
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Agriculture
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Income Tax
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The Fed
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FTC
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FDA
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SEC
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FCC
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Social Security
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CDC
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EPA
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FEC
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FEMA
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
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Credits
Related Problems: National Debt
Contributors: George Linzer, Forrest Stewart
Published: November 5, 2019
Updated: July 31, 2020; December 17, 2021; October 14, 2026
