My current thinking is that Saved By The Bell is an allegory of antebellum American politics.
- The "Bell" in the title refers to bellum, or war, specifically the Civil War. Was America was "saved" by the Civil War? Perhaps.
- Zack Morris is Zachary Taylor, one of the lesser presidents. My earlier thesis regarding his racism holds, as Taylor was the last slaveholding president and was a noted belligerent in the Indian Wars and Mexican-American Wars. I think SBtB has more to do with the Mexican-American War - Good Morning Miss Bliss had the more overtly Latino character Mike Gonzalez, and this is where Taylor had a major role.
- I think Slater may be Santa Anna, Zachary Taylor's antagonist in the Mexican-American War.
- If Slater is Santa Anna, this would also make Kelly Kapowski the state of Texas.
- My working theory is Jessie Spano is William Lloyd Garrison and Screech is Sam Houston, but I am not wedded to these ideas.
- Lisa is clearly the most contentious character in the show, and I believe she might be "the Issue of Slavery", as it is a major factor in the political environment leading up to the Mexican-American War, less so after the start of the war - just as Lisa had a far greater influence in Good Morning Miss Bliss than she had in SBtB. However, the summer they worked at the Malibu Sands where Lisa is a member? That's a plantation.