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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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By abandoning public life and returning to his plow, Washington was seen as

placing the good of the nation ahead of personal glory.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Years later, the Virginia legislature commissioned the

French sculptor Jean-Antoine

Houdon to create a life-sized statue of Washington as the

modern

Cincinnatus.

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