In September of 1787 the Constitution of the United States of America was sent to the thirteen states to be ratified. It expressed the hopes of a small, weak people, a child nation struggling to be independent. Less than 150 years later, on April 2, 1917, this country stood at the brink of World War I—a full-grown nation. America was not seeking excitement or revenge or profit in war, but only to do its duty to itself and to the world.

Gerald W. Johnson writes about the achievements and tragedies of America's growing up with the same deft wit and keen perception that made AMERICA IS BORN, the first book of this trilogy, so outstanding. His portraits of the great men of this period—Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Wilson—shine with life; and the events that pushed the youthful America into adulthood, such as the Industrial Revolution and the Civil War, are described with remarkable freshness and vitality.

Illustrated with bold, striking drawings by Leonard Everett Fisher, AMERICA GROWS UP continues the explanation of what it means to be an American. Not only Peter, but every child, deserves this explanation, which only Mr. Johnson could have written.

From the dust jacket