1850s: Puritanism is still a strong influence in New England life.

1999: With the influence of the Moral Majority waning, many clergyman and cultural observers debate the role of religion in politics.

1850s: Americans continue to move west. The population of the northern states exceeds the population of the south by one million. Slave-holding states seek to expand their influence in the new territories, such as California and Utah. A compromise reached in 1850 holds the peace for a decade, but slavery becomes a major and confrontational domestic issue dividing North and South.

1999: Differences between northern and southern states remain, but not at constitutional levels. Slavery has long been abolished but many blacks suffer from racism. Foreign policy issues lead the political agenda as America seeks to maintain and extend its international influence.

1850s: As a rejection of Calvinistic sobriety, many middle-class people dabble in hydropathy...