Introduction: democracy out of doors -- Violent little partisans -- The generous ambitions of youth -- My virgin vote -- The way for a young man to rise -- Every one is fifty -- Conclusion: things ain't what they used to be
Summary
There was a time when young people were the most passionate participants in American democracy. Drawing on hundreds of diaries and letters of diverse young Americans, this book explores how exuberant young people and scheming party bosses relied on each other from the 1840s to the turn of the twentieth century
