One can learn a lot just from looking at federal spending over time. The history of our relationship with our government can almost be summarized in graph. Research shows that from the founding of our nation, 1787-1849 (63 years) federal spending averaged 1.7% of GDP. For the next 51 years, 1850-1900 (including the Civil War) spending averaged only 3.1%. From 1901 ... MORE