A state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced.
President Kennedy, in those words from his inaugural speech in 1961, wanted to urge Americans toward public service and global service. Kennedy was instrumental in establishing the Peace Corps, which was put into place not long after his inauguration (already in March, 1961). The Peace Corps enlisted Americans as volunteers to give their time to serving underdeveloped nations in the world.
In the Civil War era, this struggle focused heavily on the institution of slavery and whether the federal government had the right to regulate or even abolish slavery within an individual state.
