On July 4, 1826, the U.S. celebrated its 50th birthday with parades & speeches across the country. But what ultimately sanctified the national jubilee in the minds of the celebrants was an extraordinary coincidence in the nation's history: the nearly simultaneous deaths of Thomas Jefferson & John Adams, the last pillars of the original republic. This fascinating book shows us the personal lives behind the pageantry & reveals an acutely self-conscious nation -- anxiously optimistic about its future, eager to romanticize the Revolutionary past. Follows the Marquis de Lafayette on his 1825 tour of all 24 states, Pres. John Quincy Adams, Sec. of State Henry Clay, & Gen.

Andrew Jackson, as well as ordinary citizens in different regions of the country. Illus.