Why did some Americans seek to expand the role of the federal government between 1877 and 1900?

Answer 1

This was during the post-Reconstruction era, after the United States of America had been put back together—during the Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Harrison, and McKinley Administrations. The federal government was needed to fund the growing public education system nationwide, which also included public services such as libraries. Under the 15th Amendment in 1870, Black men gained the right to vote. Farmlands and railroads were being constructed as the United States expanded westward—with the latter resource requiring federal government funding. The American population was growing rapidly during this time, especially with laborers who came from overseas to seek new employment opportunities in this field.

Without federal government resources, the United States of America would never have expanded, or survived during the post-Civil War era.