How the New Deal altered the role of the national government Essay

How the New Deal altered the role of the national government - Essay Example Majority of its legislation followed these purposes (Bryant). The New Deal changed the role of the national government, by expanding the power of the Federal Government and making it more responsible for the general welfare of the states. Since the U.S. became â€Å"united,† states enjoyed latitude in making laws and programs for their specific state needs and concerns. The Great Depression showed, however, that each state, or more so, a few ones, can generally impact the whole nation’s economic conditions. As a result, Roosevelt and his allies are convinced that they must change the national government from being a passive parent to a more aggressive parent handling the economy as a whole. After all, the Constitution states that the federal government has the power to regulate commerce between states and international trade and that it is authorized to generate laws that support the Constitution. Though the New Deal has been criticized as unconstitutional, it proved to greatly enhance the powers of the national government. During the New Deal of the Roosevelt administration, from 1933 to early 1935, the main goals were recovery and relief. The president and his advisers stressed the importance of the national government in creating laws that will stimulate the economy and provide new jobs. Roosevelt expressed to the American public about the alliances among â€Å"business and banking, agriculture and industry, and labor and capital,† in order to enlist them to the causes of the government (Bryant). On March 5, the president closed all the banks and called it a â€Å"bank holiday.† He influenced the Congress to pass a bill that helped the banks. That bill became law a few days later and the President asked the people to trust banks again and deposit their money once more into them. The banks reopened on Monday March 13th and Americans deposited their money again and the total effect was that they