In the context of the text how has american changed over time?

As part of the magazine's look back over the past forty years, American Heritage asked a wide range of historians, journalists, writers, and public figures the following question: "What do you think is the most important, or interesting, or overlooked way in which America has changed since 1954, and why? And what does this change say about us as a people?" We knew this was a broad question, to say the least, but we were still surprised by the answers it elicited; they turned out to be as various and provocative and illuminating as the people they came from. An anthology follows.