ABSTRACT
Swallow Barn, John Pendleton Kennedy's first book-length work, j3appeared in 1832, at a time when national tensions had not begun to harden into lasting divisions but could be represented as stages in national development. Swallow Barn was a popular work when it was published. John Pendleton Kennedy's experiences in a close and durable family led him to perceive the family as a stable entity founded on affection, mutual assistance, and toleration, and he saw the Union in similar terms. During the 1820s, Kennedy came to favor the development of manufactures, internal improvements supported by the central government, and emancipation of slaves, all measures that he regarded as ultimately beneficial to all states and regions. Kennedy's confidence in this process of generational maturation shows up in his presentation of some of the principal characters. The peace of the community is restored at the end of Swallow Barn because the boundary dispute is resolved.
