This book examines the fiction written for children in the United States between 1820 and 1860, and shows how it reflected the culture and mood of that era. The highly didactic, antebellum stories discussed here reveal many of the social and personal values accepted at that time. Jacksonian Americans were nationalistic and optimistic, proud of their country yet uneasy about its future. Their outlook was democratic, yet they doubted that the masses would prove equal to the moral responsibilities of their citizenship. The embraced the opportunities offered by the expanding economy but were repelled by the competitive spirit that came with it and the possible loss of traditional values. All this is reflected in the juvenile fiction of the period.