Chapter 3: George Washington and the Newburgh Conspiracy

Chapter Summary:

     The chapter begins with the restlessness and growing anger of the military after the American victory that ended the war. The soldiers were overcome with grievances against the government, because they believed that it was weak and it had no power to pay them the pensions and bonuses that they deserved for fighting in the long war. They feared they could not leave the army, because then they would have no "leverage with the government" in getting back the money that it owed them, but hostility and fear towards a "standing army" was growing. To begin, Lewis Nicola sent a polite and passionate letter to Washington, suggesting the solution to the weak republic was a military monarchy led by Washington himself. Washington quickly shot down Nicola's idea. However, complaints within the military such as heavy debts, "justly entitled" commissions, and the lack of commitment of the Congress to honor their promises were building. Nationalists saw this, and decided to use the anger to their advantage - they wanted a government with real power to tax and regulate the economy and pay debts - and they thought that the the threat of the military's discontent would force the more powerful government to fulfill the promises of bonuses and pensions. 
     An anonymous (John Armstrong) address was made among the military, fanning the flames of injustice and anger towards their government, and proposing radical solutions such as either using force to win their due under peace, or under war, refusing to take up arms to defend their country that they fought so hard for. Furthermore, the letter echoed the proposal of Nicola years before, saying the military would "retire to some unsettled country...and leave an ungrateful country to defend itself." Washington called a meeting of the conspirators, planning not to attend, then surprisingly showed up and addressed the stunned military men - he assured them that he had their backs, made them think about the consequences of their actions, and implored them not to desert their proud country that they had fought for, to "overturn the liberties" of their beloved country. Washington effectively defused the situation, and Congress was even so "chastised" that they agreed to provide pay for the army officers and enlisted men.

Chapter Reflection:

    This sequence of events showed me how eloquent and calm Washington was under pressure, and his pleas to the seemingly out of control, discontented army addressed the very core values that America hopes to uphold. He reminded them of their duty to honor, and that their actions would "tarnish the reputation" of a celebrated army and the glory which they so justly acquired during the war. The fact that the meeting was on the Ides of March made me laugh because of how ironic it was - I take Latin so I've learned about Caesar and the events surrounding that date, and I liked connecting them. Another aspect that I liked was that I did relate to the enlisted officers - they spent their whole lives fighting for their free country and now that they have it, it can't even compensate them? It must have caused them to lose so much hope, that I understand that they turned to desperation.