The Commission on intergovernmental relations Page: 13
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logical, economic, cultural, intellectual, and political. Most
obvious of the main trends affecting the federal system are those,
accentuated in recent decades, that have led to a great expansion
in the National Government and its activities, in the proportion
of national income passing through the Treasury, and in the
degree of attention focused on Washington. Less obvious but
equally relevant is the very significant expansion of State and
local governments in recent years.
Population Changes
The most elementary fact is the growth in total population,
now over forty times what it was in 1787. This has come about
through large-scale immigration, a fairly high birth rate, and a
rapidly declining death rate. The remarkable rise in longevity,
which in a century has perhaps doubled the average life expectancy,
has helped push the population figures up. Greater
population density has resulted in the multiplication of governmental
functions.
More significant in some respects than the numbers are the
changes in composition-the submergence and later revival of
the Indians, and the introduction and gradual dispersion of
people of many races, creeds, and colors. No other major power
in history, working under the conditions of a free society, has
breathed a common loyalty into such a vast and varied mixture
of peoples.
Ethnic groups sometimes accentuate the geographic diversities
in the country, and thereby increase the justification for a decentralized
system of government. On the other hand, such
groups, usually in the minority nearly everywhere, are also sometimes
targets of local discriminations. The protection of their
basic rights has therefore on occasion been a ground for National
action in matters otherwise left to the States.
Effects of Industrialization
The growth of population has been accompanied by a continually
rising standard of living, thanks mainly to the progress
of science, technology, industrialization, and specialization. In
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United States. Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. The Commission on intergovernmental relations, book, June 1955; Washington, D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1051/m1/27/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.