George Washington & Republican Virtue

1. George Washington&Republican Virtue Presentation created by Robert Martinez Primary Content Source: Visions of America: A History of the United States, 2nd edition. Images as cited. southdakotapolitics.blogs.com

2. The American Revolution marked a break from ideas and values that had defined British culture for centuries. Monarchy and aristocracy were swept away. America was now a republic. Republicanism placed a premium on the ideal of virtue. homework.northport.k12.ny.us

3. No one in America was more identified with the ideal of virtue than George Washington. A symbol of the virtuous citizen-soldier, responding to the summons of his nation and retiring to private life once his service was no longer needed – Washington was a model of civic virtue. en.wikipedia.org

4. Washington’s reputation for public virtue and ability to command the respect of his troops had helped the Continental Army during some of its dire campaigns. southcarolina1670.wordpress.com

5. In 1783, Washington faced a different challenge. This time it was the rumors of a military coup by his Army’s officers. Washington used his influence to win over disgruntled officers and made an appeal for “reason and virtue,” crushing the attempt without firing a shot. www.eonimages.com

6. Washington had heard rumors that the army’s leadership would no longer tolerate Congress’s failure to deal with complaints about their pay and pensions. An anonymous essay had circulated among officers suggesting that the time might soon come to turn their arms against Congress itself. www.annexgalleries.com

7. The officers’ anger had been simmering for some time. Frustration with the Confederation Congress was widespread. Washington was well aware of the officer’s concerns. He had complained about the inefficiency of Congress on many occasions. aviscogitations.wordpress.com

8. With no power to tax, Congress had to depend on voluntary contributions from the states. Without reliable revenue, it was difficult to wage war or conduct the business of government. www.thesleuthjournal.com

9. Faced with a possible rebellion by his own officers, Washington resolved to address his men in person and persuade them of the recklessness of their plan. memory.loc.gov

10. On a dark wintry day in March 1783, Washington traveled to Newburgh, New York, to address his officer corps. The assembled officers met in a makeshift building that some of them had dubbed the “Temple of Virtue.” www.sjsapush.com

11. Washington prepared to read a letter that he hoped would convince the officers that their demands would be met. Fumbling to find a pair of glasses, he paused, and then addressed the hushed crowd: “Gentlemen, you must pardon me. I have grown grey in your service, and now find myself growing blind.” www.earlyamerica.com

12. The impact on his audience was dramatic. “There was something so natural, so unaffected in his appeal,” Major Samuel Shaw later wrote. Washington’s own wartime sacrifices had already provided a powerful model for the officer corps. www.conservapedia.com

13. The image of their beloved commander growing gray and blind in the service of his country struck a resonant chord. He asked his men to give posterity “proof of unexampled patriotism and patient virtue.” www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com

14. Civic virtue had triumphed over corruption, and the Newburgh conspiracy was crushed without a shot being fired. colonialsense.com

15. Another event that enhanced Washington’s reputation as the embodiment of republican virtue was the public ceremony of turning over his military commission to Congress after the war. www.watchmenpastors.org

16. In Annapolis, Maryland, where Congress was convened, Washington addressed the delegates. “Having now finished the work assigned me,” he informed his audience, many of whom were brought to tears, “I here offer my commission, and take my leave” of “the employments of public life.” www.middletowninsider.com

17. By abandoning public life and returning to his plow, Washington was seen as placing the good of the nation ahead of personal glory. www.headforart.com

18. In the public’s view, Washington had transformed himself into the modern Cincinnatus, an allusion to the ancient world’s great symbol of public virtue, the Roman general Cincinnatus. After serving the Roman Republic as its supreme commander, Cincinnatus had returned to his farm. www.fitsnews.com

19. After resigning, Washington went on a tour of the nation. In Philadelphia, he was saluted by cannons and ringing bells from the city’s steeples. He sat for portraits by America’s leading painters and enjoyed listening to commemorative. gherkinstomatoes.com

20. Well educated in the history of the ancient Roman Republic, Americans understood that a popular military leader’s decision to emulate Rome’s dictatorial general Julius Caesar rather than Cincinnatus would lead to despotism. viamyviewfinder.blogspot.com

21. Years later, the Virginia legislature commissioned the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon to create a life-sized statue of Washington as the modern Cincinnatus. www.backtoclassics.com