1930s: During the Great Depression, unemployment rose as high as 25%; the New Deal program of government-sponsored relief leads to a deficit in the federal budget.

1960: After a decade of record-high American production and exports, unemployment dips to less than 5 percent, while the federal government runs a small surplus.

Today: Unemployment runs between 5 and 6 percent, while the federal government works to reduce a multi-billion dollar deficit amidst an increasingly competitive global economy.

1930s: Schools are racially segregated; emphasis in the classroom was on rote learning of the basics.

1960: Although backed up by force at times, school integration laws were being enforced; the 1959 launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik leads to math and science gaining increased importance.

Today: School populations are as racially diverse as their communities; classes include a focus on combining subjects and problem-solving skills.

1930s: Only property owners who were white and male...