United States History 17A
The American Cincinnatus
In the Roman Republic, two Consuls were chosen
annually to act as the military leaders and chief political and religious
officials in Rome. If, for some reason, they could not fulfill these duties,
it was customary to designate a replacement known as a 'dictator', who
would govern in their places for a period of six months and then step down,
returning power to the consuls.
The great Roman historian, Livy, wrote about
one such dictator in the early republic whose name was Cincinnatus. When
the security of Rome was threatened by invasions and the consuls were unable
to determine a course of action, they went to Cincinnatus, a retired senator,
to ask for help. They found him on his farm, plowing a field. They asked
him to leave his farm and the security of his retirement and come lead
them in the defense of their country. Without hesitation, Cincinnatus laid
down his plow, picked up his sword and shield and led Rome in a successful
battle that drove off the enemy attack. Having secured peace, Cincinnatus
relinquished his authority as dictator, laid down his weapons and returned
to his farm, and continued plowing his field at the point where he had
been interrupted. This story was told by Livy to describe the ideal Roman
citizen-statesman. He was a man who would serve his country first and think
of his own self-interest second.
In his time, George Washington was seen by many
as the 'American Cincinnatus'. When the Continental Congress met in May
of 1775 following the battles at Lexington and Concord to form an army
and name Washington as its leader, the general had been retired on his
farm at Mount Vernon for five years. Yet he assumed responsibility to lead
the Continental Army and was not absent from his troops for more than a
handful of days during the next eight years of war. Near the war's end,
Washington was approached by a rebellious group of officers who, not having
been paid for some time, and fearing they would never be as peace was imminent,
pleaded with him to lead the army against the Congress. They and the men
would support him, they said, and he would be named the president of the
new country. Washington refused. He said he had not fought for so long
to overthrow one king merely to install another one. His officers were
so moved by his words, that they abandoned their plot. Soon thereafter,
when peace was at last official, Washington formally relinquished his commission
as General, and returned to Mount Vernon. 
This
event was thought at the time to have such significance, that it became
one of the few events to be memorialized in a painting by the famous artist,
John
Trumbull. The painting bears the cumbersome title, 'General George
Washington Resigning his Commission to Congress as Commander in Chief of
the Army' It now hangs alongside Trumbull's 'Signing
of the Declaration of Independence', in the rotunda of the Capitol
building in Washington, D.C.
Later, when the Constitution was written, the
office of the president was given enormous powers. The framers, however,
were afraid that those powers might be used to undermine their new republic.
Consequently, it was agreed that there was only one person in whom all
had enough respect to trust as the first president: George Washington.
He received all of the electoral votes possible in the first presidential
election held in 1788. He is the only president in American history to
be so honored.
Answer the following questions
13. Who was Cincinnatus? Why was Washington thought of as
the 'American Cincinnatus'?
14. What act by Washtington was thought so important that
it merited a painting by the famous artist, John Trumbul1?
15. How many electoral votes did Washington receive
in the first presidential election of 1788?
If you are interested in this image of Washington,
you also might be interested in the Society of the Cincinnati, formed by
Washington after the Revolutionary War, and now composed of descendants
of officers who fought in the war.
Return
to Study Guide #6
Revised
June 9, 2002
by Tom Gallup, e-mail address: [email protected]
West Valley College
http://www.westvalley.edu/wvc/ss/gallup/gallup.html