In one of the most astonishing chronological coincidences in political history, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both passed away on July 4, 1826. This was the exact 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a document they had both helped author in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Adams's famous final words were 'Thomas Jefferson survives,' entirely unaware that his great friend and political rival had actually died a few hours earlier in Virginia.

This uncanny national coincidence was widely interpreted by American writers and poets as absolute divine validation of the democratic experiment. It sparked a massive wave of nationalistic, myth-making epic poetry and elegies that sought to elevate the founding fathers into transcendent, classical figures of cosmic destiny.