George Washington
& Republican Virtue
Presentation created by Robert Martinez
Primary Content Source: Visions of America: A History of the United States, 2 nd 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.
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.
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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.”
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.”
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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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