A lesson from the past
Eight paintings adorn the walls of the Capital Rotunda in Washington, DC. Four of these are by the artist John Trumbull, a veteran of the Revolutionary War who was born in 1756. By the time he was creating the works for the Capital Trumbull was in his 70s, his skills had faded, so the artistic quality of these paintings has caused them to be dismissed over time. But the Rotunda isn’t an art museum. It is a monument to American democracy, American ideals, and in that regard, Trumbull’s paintings deserve to be appreciated and understood. Taken together, the four paintings provide a reasonable “executive summary” of the founding of the United States, in the words of Trumbull’s most recent biographer, Richard Brookhiser.*
The first in the series is Declaration of Independence, which needs no explanation for its significance. The second panel, Surrender of General Burgoyne, commemorates the American victory at Saratoga that justified France’s formally joining the war on the side of the rebels, a genuine turning point in the struggle. The next painting depicts the practical ending of the war with the Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown.
After Yorktown, the war continued in name, if not in much action, for another two years, finally coming to an official close with the Treaty of Paris signed September 3, 1783. Until that time, George Washington remained Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, which was stationed in Newburgh, New York, keeping close watch on the British army still occupying Manhattan. In December of that year, after the war officially ended and the British had left New York, Washington travelled to Annapolis, Maryland, then serving as the nation’s capital, to deliver his resignation and return to Congress his commission as commander in chief. There were those who expected Washington to retain control of the army, to use it as a club to take political control of the young nation. There were even those who encouraged him to do so.
When he learned of the news, King George III is reported to have said of Washington, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”
Trumbull was in Europe when Washington resigned. In a letter to his brother he observed that the event “excites the astonishment and admiration of this part of the world. ’Tis a Conduct so novel, so inconceivable to People, who, far from giving up powers they possess, are willing to convulse the Empire to acquire more.” This is a sentiment that lingered in Trumbull’s mind.
Over 30 years later, as he and President Madison were discussing which subjects he should include among his four panels, Trumbull insisted on a depiction of General George Washington Resigning His Commission, because he understood (as had Washington) that if all the sacrifices, deaths, and hardships endured by the patriots were to mean anything, then Washington needed to acknowledge and respect the collective civilian authority.
No one would say Joe Biden is George Washington. But in deciding not to pursue a second term as President when he had the Democratic nomination sewn-up, Biden was honoring the spirt of Washington’s act. It is not surprising that the party of Trump would fail to recognize this, as they are the group who violently tried to overthrow the results of a valid election, and did so with the image of Washington looking down upon the mob of thugs making a mockery of his resignation.
The party continues to support the instigator of that violence.
*Brookhiser, Richard. Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull Painter of the American Revolution. Yale University Press. 2024.
