America! America! God shed His grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea! -America the Beautiful, Katherine Lee Bates         The growth of American Literature was further developed in the era of American Romanticism. In this period, stirrings of national consciousness appeared more and more strongly with the emergence of a truly American literature. During this time, as Americans began to understand the meaning of being 'American', they also began …showed first 75 words of 935 total…

…showed last 75 words of 935 total…epic romance to carry its mythic hero - Natty Bumppo - from youth to old age (Reuben 3). With these in mind, it is impossible for one to declare that James Fenimore Cooper's works had no literary value. It is because they did, his works are the among the enduring legacies of American romanticism. James Fenimore Cooper was an author, more importantly a romantic, whose tales have become bedtime stories, whose influence is still felt today.