Using these historical documents does Congress solve problems Or, does it create more - Essay Example

Afshin Abad 31st Oct, Integrity of the USA Congress. It is worth noting that the US congress could not provide the solutions to all Problems facing the Americans. However, the congress enacted bills that shaped the economic, social and political platforms in the Nation. From the critical analysis of the historical events which took place during different administrations, it is alarming clear that the congress has made a huge progress in solving people’s problems, though not all. To appreciate this argument further, it is prudent to visit the literature of the following documents.

The Pendleton Act passed during President George .W. Pendleton’s administration in 1883, championed for acquisition of jobs by virtue of merit, protected workers and citizens against political manipulation. Though civil servants amounted to only 10% of the total US employees, the number of beneficiaries kept growing with time. This helped the workers in deed.Besides, due to the observation by the congress that short distant travellers paid more than long distance travellers, the Interstate Act of 1887 was institutionalised to fix the problem.

According to the congress these unreasonable and unjust charges were seen as constitutional violation and that something had to be done to illegalize discrimination. Politicians, travellers during low seasons, persistent bargainers and so on, were not subject to exemption as before. Native Indians who squatted in America had to be accommodated into the population. Despite the fact the land given to them by the US government was arid/ semi arid and unproductive for farming, the Dawes Act of 1887 gave the Indians a sense of belonging.

A major set back of this Act is that some Indians did not want to embrace farming and the ones who did had no starting resources like seeds, irrigation mechanisms. These problems were of small magnitude compared with the original one of lack of land. Another illustration of the role of the congress is the Boulder Canyon Project Act which was constituted to protect and develop the Colorado River Basin. A large dam was constructed to contain floods, generate hydroelectricity, for irrigation and to provide water for domestic uses.

This project had great economic impacts to the people.The contribution of the congress to boost the lives of Americans was the Social Security Act which benefited retired workers, the unemployed, and single mothered families. Also public health services, the aged and the disabled directly benefited from the scheme. The list is endless. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was established. Production of electricity, navigation, flood control, manufacture of fertilizers was the agenda aimed at recovering from the Great Depression.

It did not only help Tennessee but also Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina.President Johnson faced a foreign policy dilemma. Therefore a bill was passed to give him more power to use every resource within his disposal to win the Vietnam War, as well as defending the Southeast Asia. He won the war. This bill, named Tonkin Gulf Resolution, proved effective. Lastly, the amendments made on the Social Security Act reduced the eligibility period to social benefits from 65 years to 62 years.

The minimum insurance benefit was escalated from $33 to $40. What more could the congress do?It’s a historical issue that the US government had always been trying to sell its foreign policy to the whole world. From sacrificing its own economy to giving out humanitarian aid, Spread democracy and its capitalist economic platform with great success. So the integrity of the congress as far as solutions to problems facing America is unquestionable. The advantages are more than the disadvantages and this spirit of the congress must be motivated because the work is practicable.

Work citedCoaty, Patrick. Toward a more Perfect Union, Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co, 2009