How did the power of the federal government increase during the period of 1865 to 1940?

The federal
government's power increased a great deal during this period. During the Progressive Era, the
federal government became a consumer advocate with the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and the Food and
Drug Administration. Government also got into the electricity business with the Tennessee Valley
Authority during the New Deal. Government tried to protect people from themselves through the
Prohibition movement. While this failed largely due to inadequate government funding and public
disinterest, the Prohibition movement lay the groundwork for anti-drug laws today.

The national government also made the American public more aware of the need to defend
itself against hostile agents both at home and abroad. The government also had the power to
arrest and deport those that it deemed hostile during WWI and the Red Scare of the 1920s. In
1917, the federal government also had the power to draft someone into the military. The draft
would come back again in 1940 as part of the preparedness...