A major Jubilee is coming to America... soon.Lots of people will be excited about this once-in-50-years event. The crowds will cheer. And politicians will promise new and better prosperity.But what will actually happen is a national nightmare.

2019 New cover version of Second Edition

In America's Jubilee distinguished historian Andrew Burstein presents an engrossing narrative that takes us back to a pivotal year in American history, 1826, when the reins of democracy were being passed from the last Revolutionary War heroes to a new generation of leaders. Through brilliant sketches of selected individuals and events, Burstein creates an evocative portrait of the hopes and fears of Americans fifty years after the Revolution. We follow an aged Marquis de Lafayette on his triumphant tour of the country; and learn of the nearly simultaneous deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on the 4th of July. We meet the ornery President John Quincy Adams, the controversial Secretary of State Henry Clay, and the notorious hot-tempered General Andrew Jackson. We also see the year through the eyes of a minister's wife, a romantic novelist, and even an intrepid wheel of cheese. Insightful and lively, America's Jubilee captures an unforgettable time in the republic’s history, when a generation embraced the legacy of its predecessors and sought to enlarge its role in America’s story.

In America's Jubilee distinguished historian Andrew Burstein presents an engrossing narrative that takes us back to a pivotal year in American history, 1826, when the reins of democracy were being passed from the last Revolutionary War heroes to a new generation of leaders. Through brilliant sketches of selected individuals and events, Burstein creates an evocative portrait of the hopes and fears of Americans fifty years after the Revolution. We follow an aged Marquis de Lafayette on his triumphant tour of the country; and learn of the nearly simultaneous deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on the 4th of July. We meet the ornery President John Quincy Adams, the controversial Secretary of State Henry Clay, and the notorious hot-tempered General Andrew Jackson. We also see the year through the eyes of a minister's wife, a romantic novelist, and even an intrepid wheel of cheese. Insightful and lively, America's Jubilee captures an unforgettable time in the republic’s history, when a generation embraced the legacy of its predecessors and sought to enlarge its role in America’s story.

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.