In the year 2000 a thousand historians and political scientists were asked to judge the top achievements of the federal government. Nearly half agreed to participate. Below is their top 10 list, as prepared by the Brookings Institution, which sponsored the survey, which was recently released. The conclusion?

Looking back from the edge of a new millennium, it is difficult not to be proud of what the federal government has tried to achieve these past fifty years. Name a significant domestic or foreign problem over the past half century and the federal government made some effort to solve it, sometimes through massive new programs such as Medicare and Apollo, other times through a string of smaller initiatives to address enduring programs such as disease and poverty. If a nation’s greatness is measured in part by the kinds of problems it asks its government to solve, the United States measures up very well, indeed.

The federal government did more than aim high, however. The federal government often succeeded in changing the nation and the world.

The survey, funded by the Ford Foundation, includes fifty broad goals the federal government attempted to meet. A useful feature of the survey is a comprehensive list of the legislation enacted to address the problems the government identified.

1. Rebuild Europe After World War II

2. Expand the Right to Vote

3. Promote Equal Access to Public Accommodations

4. Reduce Disease

5. Reduce Workplace Discrimination

6. Ensure Safe Food and Drinking Water

7. Strengthen the Nation's Highway System

8. Increase Older Americans' Access to Health Care

9. Reduce the Federal Budget Deficit

10. Promote Financial Security in Retirement

SOURCE: Government's 50 Greatest Endeavors