Is life in the U.S. better than it was a century ago

I heard an old interview in which Bill Moyers asked Henry Steele Commager, the historian who lived through most of the 20th century, whether life was better in the United States at the end or at the beginning of the 20th century. It is an interesting question.

Commager pointed out that life was much better for some groups, such as African Americans, (I would also suspect that it is much better for the very rich now than even for the very rich then.) He questioned whether our modern commercial culture or our current political culture represented any advance.

Certainly life expectancy is longer now, and many of the diseases of 100 years ago have been conquered in the United States. Certainly the average person has access to much more and better technology, including better automobiles, radio, television, computers and the Internet, air conditioning, central heating, etc. etc. Per capita income in real terms is much higher now than it was then.

On the other hand, for many groups the family is less strong, as are community ties. Is it better to sit and watch television or to make one's own entertainment?

All in all, a very interesting question.