'Young America!': Romantic nationalism in literature and politics, 1843-1861

" thinspace 'Young America!': Romantic Nationalism in Literature and Politics, 1843-1861" is a study of American nationalism on the eve of the Civil War. It explores both the cultural and the political aspects of this nationalism, and the influence of the 1848 revolutions on American thought. In art and literature, Young America's champions endeavored to foster a distinct American voice. In politics, Young Americans in the Democratic party advocated a homestead act, railroad building, and territorial expansion, as well as a more assertive and idealistic foreign policy toward Europe. The last and most impassioned nationalists before the Civil War, Young Americans struggled to preserve the Union as the issue of slavery expansion began to tear the nation apart.;This study explores how Young America imagined the United States as a nation by examining the writings and activities of individuals associated with the movement. It is informed by recent theoretical work on nationalism and national identity and offers a critique of recent literature in the field of American foreign policy, particularly recent works on the role of race and ideology in territorial expansion. Finally, it explores the relationship between local and national identity on the eve of the Civil War.