George Washington: an American Hero
George Washington:
American Hero
Matthew Chauvin
AP US History
Maxwell Suitt
September 17, 2012
When Charles Willson Peale was on the battlefield of Princeton, fighting for the independence of America, he probably wasn’t thinking that he would paint his commander-in-chief as such an honored hero of the revolutionary era. Neither did he know that he would paint America’s first president, a beloved man to this day, being named the founding father of the country. And it sure didn’t cross his mind that he would paint both of these men on the same canvas, with the same colored oils, and would be asked to it replicate eighteen times. Yet after the Battle of Princeton, Peale did exactly that, and painted a victorious George Washington in a battered battlefield in Princeton.[1] In the time leading up to the American Revolution, American colonists were getting frustrated with the British government due to high taxes, no representation in Parliament, and unequal rights compared to British citizens. The First Continental Congress met in 1774 to discuss their disgust with American treatment by the British. This Continental Congress included many of our nation’s founding fathers, including George Washington. A Second Continental Congress was called a year later, where The Declaration of Independence was signed. Washington was elected to lead the Continental Army against the prestigious British army. By this time, most Americans had the thought of independence from Britain implanted in their minds, and America’s focus was now primarily on the war.[2] George Washington was ready to embark on a journey in which he would lead an entire nation to independence and victory. Being in a time of national war, George Washington had a substantial amount of power as commander-in-chief of the army, which we can tell by his dress, his use of a horse, and the prisoners-of-war he has taken in the painting, George Washington
American Hero
Matthew Chauvin
AP US History
Maxwell Suitt
September 17, 2012
When Charles Willson Peale was on the battlefield of Princeton, fighting for the independence of America, he probably wasn’t thinking that he would paint his commander-in-chief as such an honored hero of the revolutionary era. Neither did he know that he would paint America’s first president, a beloved man to this day, being named the founding father of the country. And it sure didn’t cross his mind that he would paint both of these men on the same canvas, with the same colored oils, and would be asked to it replicate eighteen times. Yet after the Battle of Princeton, Peale did exactly that, and painted a victorious George Washington in a battered battlefield in Princeton.[1] In the time leading up to the American Revolution, American colonists were getting frustrated with the British government due to high taxes, no representation in Parliament, and unequal rights compared to British citizens. The First Continental Congress met in 1774 to discuss their disgust with American treatment by the British. This Continental Congress included many of our nation’s founding fathers, including George Washington. A Second Continental Congress was called a year later, where The Declaration of Independence was signed. Washington was elected to lead the Continental Army against the prestigious British army. By this time, most Americans had the thought of independence from Britain implanted in their minds, and America’s focus was now primarily on the war.[2] George Washington was ready to embark on a journey in which he would lead an entire nation to independence and victory. Being in a time of national war, George Washington had a substantial amount of power as commander-in-chief of the army, which we can tell by his dress, his use of a horse, and the prisoners-of-war he has taken in the painting, George Washington
Bibliography: “George Washington’s Uniform.” The Price of Freedom: American’s at War. http:// americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/collection/object.asp?ID=763 (accessed September 16, 2012). History. “American Revolution.” History. http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution (accessed September 15, 2012). Mary Lee Stubbs and Stanley Russell Connor. “Armor-Calvary.” U.S. Army Center Of Military History. http://www.history.army.mil/books/Lineage/arcav/arcav.htm (accessed September 15, 2012). McCollough, David. 1776. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2005. United States Senate. “George Washington at Princeton.” U.S. Senate: Art & History. http:// www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_31_00002.htm (accessed September 15, 2012). [2] History, “American Revolution,” History, http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution (accessed September 15, 2012). [3] David McCullough, 1776 (New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2005), 167. [4] United States Senate, “George Washington at Princeton,” U.S. Senate: Art & History, http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_31_00002.htm (accessed September 15, 2012). [5] “George Washington’s Uniform,” The Price of Freedom: American’s at War, http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/collection/object.asp?ID=763 (accessed September 16, 2012). [6] United States Senate, “George Washington at Princeton,” U.S. Senate: Art & History, http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_31_00002.htm (accessed September 15, 2012). [7] Mary Lee Stubbs and Stanley Russell Connor, “Armor-Calvary,” U.S. Army Center Of Military History, http://www.history.army.mil/books/Lineage/arcav/arcav.htm (accessed September 15, 2012). [8] United States Senate, “George Washington at Princeton,” U.S. Senate: Art & History, http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_31_00002.htm (accessed September 15, 2012). 4 Charles Willson Peale, George Washington at Princeton, 1779, Oil on Canvas, 91.63 in x 58.38 in (232.7 cm x 148.3 cm)