Urban Government

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that over a century before the age of industrialization and urbanization in America, the Founding Fathers held conflicting visions of what form localized governments should take. Federalists like James Madison, though they may not have envisioned the sheer size to which American cities would grow, espoused a strong centralized system of government. The writer notes that the Federalist model would be evident in the urban machine model that characterized the city governments of almost all major American centers during the Industrial Age. The writer further points out that the town council system and the urban machine model remain viable in various cities throughout the nation. The writer concludes that if the Founding Fathers agreed on anything related to urban governance, it was that localities should at the very least be able to choose a model that best represented the needs and desires of its residents, rather than force each municipality to conform to a predefined structure.

From the Paper:

"Diverse models of urban governance were originally due to historical, commercial, regional and cultural variations. For example, New England town councils and town halls reflected an ideal of self-rule and direct democracy. Stronger, more centralized systems of local governance such as those present in New York and Boston continue to reflect the Federalist tradition. The nature of municipal governments in many cases reflects state constitutions, as state governments allocate institutional, pragmatic, social, and fiscal responsibilities to the municipalities within their borders. Issues of local interest including street lighting, pavement, garbage collection, and water supply generally fall under the jurisdiction of the urban government. Therefore, city governments have the responsibility to levy taxes, as local interests cannot be fully funded by state or federal taxes alone."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Biles, R. ""Machine Politics." (2004). The Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved Feb 7, 2007 from http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/774.html
• Caswell, T. (2001). "Progressive Era Reform." Regents Prep: U.S. History. Retrieved Feb 7, 2007 from http://regentsprep.org/Regents/ushisgov/themes/reform/progressive.htm
• Stave, B.M. (nd). "Urban Bosses And Machine Politics." Answers.com. Retrieved Feb 7, 2007 from http://www.answers.com/topic/urban-bosses-and-machine-politics
• "Urban Political Machines." (2007). Digital History. Retrieved Feb 7, 2007 from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/us28.cfm
• "Urban Reform." (nd). Infoplease.com Retrieved Feb 7, 2007 from http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/society/A0860543.html

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