Having a strong federal government gives the government much more power but protects us more effectively. Having a strong central government, but a weak federal government, leads to people not taking the government seriously and leaves the government with little power. People wanted a strong central government back in the day because a strong federal government reminded people of being ruled by the British and they were scared they were basically going to get overruled. Nowadays, a strong federal government is the way to go, since they better protect the states and are more powerful.