There was also less technology – or pretty much no technology at all – which meant fewer distractions, no screens, and more family time and attention to their homesteads. Communities were tighter because they had to be. Families, churches, and neighbors filled in the gaps.

But let’s not get carried away and start pining for the good old days while standing next to antibiotics, indoor plumbing, air conditioning, and grocery stores full of food. The 1800s also came with brutal labor, high child mortality, plagues, fewer rights for women, weak medical care, and the very real possibility that one bad harvest or infection could wreck your entire life.

But what about taxes and freedom? In today’s America, the local, state, and federal governments have come up with a zillion laws and just as many taxes so they can steal our money. Freedom is often an illusion because we are controlled at every level of government.

So while the 1800s had more freedom in many ways, people paid in other ways with backbreaking work, isolation, poor sanitation, and a much shorter life expectancy.

So what is better now? Comfort, convenience, medicine, and opportunity. What was better then? Stronger local communities and more self-reliance.

The 1800s were no paradise, but if time travel ever becomes a thing, plenty of folks who are fed up with screens, taxes, and dependency might still be tempted to give it a try.