Events

Born in the aftermath of the American Revolution, the Society of the Cincinnati was created to preserve the fraternal connections forged by the officers of the Continental and French armies on the battlefields of the new United States. Framed on the Revolution’s ethical ideal of honor, the members of the Cincinnati pledged, “to promote and cherish, between the respective States, that union and national honor so essentially necessary to their happiness, and the future dignity of the American Empire.” Led by Henry Knox, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington, the Cincinnati aimed to continue the pledge of sacred honor made in the Declaration of Independence. However, in a time of post-war uncertainty, the hereditary nature of the group elicited cries of aristocracy from the likes of John and Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. The debate over the true nature of the Cincinnati reflected a broader battle over the ideals of the new nation and the understanding of democracy. What exactly was in the interests of national honor? Drawn from his new book, American Honor: The Creation of the Nation’s Ideals during the Revolutionary Era, Dr. Craig Bruce Smith explores how the ethics of the Revolution were incorporated into the new republic and how new understandings of honor were created in reaction to the Society of the Cincinnati.

The talk will last about 45 minutes, followed by a book signing and refreshments.

About the Speaker

Craig Bruce Smith is assistant professor of history and the director of the history program at William Woods University. In 2011 he received a Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati Fellowship to conduct research for this book in the Institute’s library. Dr. Smith’s specialization is in early American cultural and intellectual history during the long eighteenth century and the Age of Revolution, specifically looking at ethics, national identity and transnational ideas. He earned a Ph.D. in American history from Brandeis University.