Cincinnati

In April 1783, as the Revolutionary War (1775-83) was winding down, a group of Continental army officers led by General Henry Knox established the Order of Cincinnati. Looking upon their experience in the war and recognizing the special bond they had developed as a result of their sacrifices, these men wanted to create an association that would help them to sustain their ties. The order took its name from the Roman general Cincinnatus, who had left his plow to defend the Roman republic, declined a crown after his victories, and returned to his life of agrarian simplicity. While clinging to a pose of humility, the officers were ambitious and anticipated that their organization would exert political influence in the new republic. They also planned on using the Cincinnati to lobby for overdue back pay. To add both visibility and additional honor, Knox persuaded George Washington to head the order. The Cincinnati, however, made one mistake: They limited membership to officers and their first-born sons.

The public outcry was tremendous. As an exclusive military club and as an inherited privilege, the Order of Cincinnati was “full of danger to the rights of man” and seemed a violation of the ideals of republicanism. As Knox explained to Washington, the organization was accused of being “created by a foreign influence, in order to change our form of government.” Samuel Adams proclaimed that the Cincinnati represented “as rapid a Stride towards hereditary Military Nobility as was ever made in so short a Time.” The eagle and blue ribbon of the society, instead of being a political asset, became a political liability. One Massachusetts candidate promised to withdraw from the order in an effort to get elected. The Rhode Island legislature went so far as to disenfranchise anyone who was a member. Amid this outcry, Washington resigned his leadership role. The organization survived, relegated to one among many interest groups participating in the democratic politics of the new United States.

Further reading: Minor Myers, Liberty without Anarchy: A History of the Society of Cincinnati (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1983).