A historian’s case for Donald Trump’s triumphal arch
With the President polling at historic lows, Trump’s archway makes for an easy target. But the importance of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding shouldn’t escape us, writes Brady J. Crytzer.
Some birthdays are worth celebrating.
On Friday, April 10, the Trump administration announced plans to construct a new archway celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.
Designed to stand 250-feet tall, it would tower over most of the Washington skyline. Situated between the Lincoln Memorial and the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, the proposed “Triumphal Arch” would forever alter the face of the nation’s capital.
The blowback was immediate and fierce. Presented in the wake of the contentious renovations to the East Wing of the White House, many have decried the monument as little more than an executive power trip … an “Arc de Trump.”
When completed, the archway will be adorned with golden statues and emblazoned with the phrase “In God We Trust.” Columbia, known colloquially as “Lady Liberty,” stands atop the structure with her torch held high.
It’s over the top to be sure, but so is the president, and more importantly, so was the notion of American Independence.
With the president polling at historic lows, Trump’s archway makes for an easy target. But the importance of this anniversary shouldn’t escape us.
The “Triumphal Arch” may be a controversial topic now, but it will stand as an inspirational reminder for future generations.
It is vital for modern Americans to understand that the American Revolution was an era, not an event. Beginning in 1763, the country was weighed down by tremendous uncertainty for two decades. Throughout the 1770s, few could even agree on what the revolutionaries’ strategic goals actually were.
In the light of such turmoil, Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence was an audacious statement. In a nation of four million people, only about a third endorsed it. Many Americans balked at the idea of separation, and others rejected it altogether.
Revolutions were fueled by ideas, not outcomes. In many respects, the “American Revolution” was completed on July 4, 1776. The seven years of combat that followed were merely the defense of the revolution, not the revolution itself.
When the Continental Congress approved the document, few understood that the Revolution was complete. We had a country, but could we keep it?
In 1776, the thought of an American republic was decried by many as the ultimate long shot. In London, the idea that a collection of 13 colonies could challenge one of the most powerful empires in the world was almost laughable.
George Washington’s army was underfunded, undermanned, and woefully unprepared for a long-term conflict against the mighty British Empire. By 1776, King George III’s navy ruled the seas, and oversaw a global economy of unprecedented scale and influence.
By comparison, the so-called United States of America had only a paltry navy and lacked a coherent strategy for military victory. Politically, the states warred against themselves almost as much as they fought the redcoats.
The American Revolution was intensely local, and devastatingly partisan. Throughout North America, the conflict appeared to be more of a civil war than a separatist movement. Neighbors battled one another, and communities were torn to pieces by partisan violence.
While the Continental Army tangled with the British around Manhattan Island, small towns paid the price. Local leaders arrested and imprisoned one another, and outbursts of bloodshed became the norm in places like New Jersey, North Carolina, Western Pennsylvania, Western Virginia, and Upstate New York.
Still, through the fog of war and shades of intense doubt, Gen. George Washington achieved victory. It was the ultimate underdog story, and one that (quite literally) changed the world.
Since 1776, America’s democratic values have spread across the globe and freed billions of people from the yoke of imperial rule. From the backwoods of North America, a new birth of freedom emerged that altered the fortunes of subjugated peoples on six continents.
The “Triumphal Arch” may be a controversial topic now, but it will stand as an inspirational reminder for future generations. It will remind us of how far we’ve come, and how much work we still have ahead of us.
That is something worth celebrating.
Brady J. Crytzer teaches history at Robert Morris University and is an associate editor of the Journal of the American Revolution. His new book The National Road: George Washington and America’s First Highway West is available now.