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Northwest Ordinance
- 1789
- Provided clear guidelines for the settlement of new territories and provided a path to statehood.
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Pendleton Act
- 1883
- Eliminated the spoils system of patronage in selection for government jobs and set up an exam-based merit system for qualified candidates.
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Sherman Anti-Trust Act
- 1896
- Provided Congress with the authority to regulate and break up monopolies.
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Hatch Act
- 1939
- Permitted government employees to vote in government elections but forbade them from participating in partisan politics.
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Air Quality Act
- 1967
- The beginning of a series of acts to regulate impacts on the environment.
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Federal Election Campaign Acts
- 1971-1974
- Laws created the Federal Election Commission and required disclosures of contributions and expenditures and limitations on contributions and presidential election expenditures.
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War Powers Act
- 1973
- Limited President's power to use troops overseas in hostilities, put a time limit on use and gave Congress final power to withdraw troops.
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Budget and Impoundment Control Act
- 1974
- Established Congressional budget committees and the Congressional Budget Office, and gave Congress the power to prevent the president from refusing to fund Congressional initiatives.
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Freedom of Information Act
- 1974
- Declassified government documents for public use.
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Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Bill
- 1985
- Set budget reduction targets to balance budget.
- Failed to eliminate loopholes.
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Espionage and Sedition Acts
- 1917-1918
- Severely curtailed the civil liberties of Americans during wartime and greatly increased the power of the federal government in controlling public activity.
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Immigration Act (1924)
Stringently limited the number of immigrants admitted into the United States and set a quota for entry.
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Civil Rights Act
- 1964
- Title II banned discrimination in public places on the basis of race, color, national origin, or religion.
- Title VII prohibited employment discrimination based on gender.
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Voting Rights Act
- 1965
- Suspended literacy tests, empowered federal officials to register voters, prohibited states from changing voting procedures without federal permission.
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Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- 1967
- Banned age discrimination in jobs unless age is related to job performance.
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Civil Rights Act
- 1968
- Banned housing discrimination based on race.
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Title IX Education Act
- 1972
- Prohibited gender discrimination in federally funded education programs.
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Americans with Disabilities Act
- 1990
- Protected civil liberties of disabled Americans mandated
- reasonable accomodations" to public facility use.
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National Voter Registration Bill
- 1993
- Also known as the Motor Voter Act
- Allowed people to register to beote when applying for driver's licenses.
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Patriot Act
- 2001
- In response to 911, Congress granted broad police authority to federal, state, and local government to interdict, prosecute, and convict suspected terrorists.
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New Deal Legislation
- 1933-1939
- Legislation that expanded the role of government in the economy and society.
- Created entities like Social Security, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
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Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
- 1996
- The Welfare Reform Act signaled a change in the role of the federal government in the relationship with the states.
- Sought to increase the role of personal responsibility in welfare recipients and shifted many reponsibilities for welfare provision to state governments.
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Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
- 2002
- Often known as the McCain-Feingold Bill.
- Banned soft-money contributions to national political parties and raised had money limits to $2,000
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