Damnable Deficient 
Colin Kidd
- 1776: America and Britain at War by David McCullough Buy this book
Their resolve fortified by the sturdy civic virtue of Cato and Brutus, and their idea of republican self-government indebted to Greco-Roman models, the founders of American independence deferred to the authority of the ancients, even as they embarked on a revolutionary political experiment. George Washington, for example, identified himself with Cato of Utica, whom the 18th-century British knew best through the medium of Addison’s popular tragedy Cato (1713). Lines from the play found their way into Washington’s letters and speeches, and, in defiance of Congressional resolutions against the attendance of public officials at plays, he had Cato performed at Valley Forge to inspire his troops. By inclination a foxhunting man, he was the least bookish of the leading founders, many of whom were much more deeply immersed in the classics. The selfless Cincinnatus, the reforming Solon, Cicero in his defence of the republican constitution – these were the cynosures of virtuous conduct for the founding generation.
Subscribers to the print edition can log in to view the entire article. For information about subscribing to the London Review of Books click here. This article is available for purchase online. Buy this article.
Colin Kidd is the author of The Forging of Races: Race and Scripture in the Protestant Atlantic World, 1600-2000. He teaches history at Glasgow University.
Other articles by this contributor:
Brown v. Salmond · The Scottish Elections
Smut-Finder General · The Dark Side of American Liberalism
print layout
tell a friend