America, 1926: What a Forgotten 100-Year-Old Report Says About Who We Are

A hundred years ago in 1926, America faced concerns strikingly similar to today: technological disruption, immigration anxiety, economic inequality, and rapid information spread through new media—though the specific technologies differed (radio then versus social media now). A comprehensive 1500-page government report from that era reveals that while Americans have made enormous progress in health, wealth, and living standards since then, many of our current anxieties about work, family, and individual identity mirror our ancestors' concerns. The parallels suggest that some fundamental tensions in American society have persisted across a century of dramatic change.