george washington & republican virtue presentation created by robert martinez primary content...
Post on 29-Jan-2016
215 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
George Washington& Republican Virtue
Presentation created by Robert MartinezPrimary Content Source: Visions of America: A History of the United States, 2nd edition.Images as cited.
southdakotapolitics.blogs.com
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Civic virtue had triumphed over corruption, and the Newburgh
conspiracy was crushed without a
shot being fired.
colonialsense.com
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
top related