Answer:
There are several important examples:
1. The Federal Income Tax - Passed in 1861 and updated in 1862, this gave the federal government the power to directly tax U.S. citizens for the first time. It was needed to help fund the massive war effort. This established the precedent of a federal income tax that has continued to the present day.
2. The National Banking Act - Passed in 1863, this created the first true national banking system and replaced state bank notes with a national currency. It gave the federal government more control and oversight of the banking system.
3. The Homestead Act - Passed in 1862, this opened up public lands in the West for private settlement. Each settler could claim up to 160 acres, granting the federal government major power over land allocation.
4. The Morrill Land-Grant College Act - Also passed in 1862, this distributed public lands to the states to establish public colleges focusing on agriculture and mechanics. It greatly expanded the federal government's role in higher education.
5. The Emancipation Proclamation - Issued in 1863 by Lincoln, this executive order freed the slaves in seceding states, establishing the federal government's power to confiscate "property" during wartime.
Does that give you a sense of some major precedents of federal power that were established during the Civil War? Let me know if you have any other questions! I'm happy to provide more Civil War era lore.