Government Control

By Jerome S.

Citizens of the United States, some people say the government should have power over citizens like us. Well I say that the citizens in this country should be released from the government’s grip once and for all! The 1930s were a very bad time in history because of the Great Depression, a time when many people were poor. FDR established the new deal in 1933 which helped citizens get jobs. Then in 1941 the United States joined in World War II and lead a victory against Germany, Japan, and Italy. In 1945 the war ended. How much control or power should the government have in the lives of its citizens or people? The government should not have as  much power as it did during the New Deal and WWII because the TVA caused people to leave their hometown, minority citizens were treated unfairly, and the government used propaganda to increase its political power.

First the government should not have that much power because the TVA caused harm to some people. It caused people to leave their hometown:  “Although TVA had been created to improve the conditions of eastern Tennessee, the federal government did not offer much help in resettling the displaced people of the Norris Basin” (Doc D). Also I infer that the TVA was a bad thing because they flooded an area of 239 square acres that approximately 3,500 families called home.

Next the government should have less control because they didn’t treat their citizens fairly. During this period, whites got payed more than blacks by a long shot. Additionally, it also states that Indians be taking off the backs of taxpayers and freed from reservation. I infer that American citizens should get equal rights no matter what race they are.

Third the government should not have that much power because they used propaganda to gain political power. During the New Deal, the government paid for artists to create art that supported government programs.  For example, one song was a way to get people in the mood to help the new deal jobs and businesses. In the song it said, “Yes, Uncle Sam needs wool, Uncle Sam needs wheat / Uncle Sam needs houses and stuff to eat” (Woody Guthrie’s “Talking Columbia”). I infer that these songs and artwork are a way to influence Americans to do or join something.The song “Talking Columbia “ by Woody Guthrie  was a song written in 1941 praising the construction of the dams along the Columbia River.

In conclusion, the government should not have as  much power as it did during the New Deal and WWII because the TVA caused people to leave their hometown, minority citizens were treated unfairly, and the government used propaganda to increase its political power.Some people might want to say that the government should have power over its citizens well they might say this because they might want the government to get help so they can get off the street. I say that the government should have little power because if the government gets too much power then that would be the legislative branch overriding the executive and judicial branches and leaving no space for equal control.