After Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, Garry Wills noted an intention to complete an overarching analysis under the general title America's Political Enlightenment. The underlying theme was to be the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment upon North American political theory, and so upon its political landscape overall. The second in the series was Explaining America: The Federalist, which included a "Plan of the Series" and briefly identified four books.

It would appear the series was never completed. If not wholly abandoned, possibly the promised volumes on the Constitution and the Supreme Court transformed into a work on Henry Adams's history of the U.S. -- and into this work, Cinncinnatus, an examination not of the courts but of political culture. In any case, it's not clear how Wills understands Cincinnatus to fit with the series, as a digression or perhaps a pendant, or not at all.

Evidently Wills's arguments came under strong criticism among U.S. political scientists, perhaps in part accounting for the unfinished Series. I find his approach an exceedingly interesting way to learn about U.S. politics and history, both in the broad expanse of the American experiment, and in personalities such as Washington. Certainly I was little motivated by the orthodox approaches I learned in school.

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The argument here is narrowly defined: first to describe how artists & propagandists "shaped a didactic image" of George Washington [xxi], and then to assess both the role Washington played in forming the new American Republic, and the public's expectations for that role [xxiv]. Wills relies on a discussion of myriad portraits of Washington in making this argument: that is, literal portraits on canvas and in marble or bronze, and also some storybook myths such as Parson Weems' tale of the apple tree.

Wills's assessment of Washington's own intentions involves a focus on three primary events in Washington's biography. Chronologically they are:
1 - Washington's resignation of his commission as Commander of the Continental Army
2 - His support of the new Constitution, despite its unorthodox genesis
3 - Washington's Farewell Address following his second Presidential term

The book is divided into three parts, each separately examining one of these three events and its meaning for Washington, and for U.S. political culture.

In Part 1: Wills first looks at Enlightenment principles (secularism, republican ideals) and applies them to Washington's habit of "giving up power as a means of gaining power". Wills then reviews paintings and sculpture to see how those principles describe Washington's public persona.

Part 2 jumps out of sequence and looks to the importance of Washington's Farewell Address, linking it to Washington's policy of Nonalignment and its relevance for National Character.

Part 3 examines Washington's decision to support the new Constitution, and yet reconcile it with the republican ideals already defined, which were publicly and deliberately taken up by his supporters, and purposefully by Washington himself.

Along the way, Wills provides many discussions of events, personality, and theory of public service & civic virtue, swirling around the symbol of American identity and ideal. Included are a great many colour plates and black & white reproductions of paintings and sculpture, to which Wills refers regularly.

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The propagandist symbol, and the intentional actions on the part of Washington himself, coalesce around an American concept of Republicanism, "Roman but not Christian". [25]
• The ideal leader displayed a "considered reluctance to exercise power" [23], and was granted power for a limited duration, within a circumscribed ambit, and relied upon the People to be free of corruption (so their selection of a leader would not compromise these ideals).
• The Roman myth of Cincinnatus, the citizen soldier under orders but with individual genius to implement those orders, was taken up among Colonists as the embodiment of an ideal leader, leading eventually to the establishment of the Society of Cincinnati.
• The Society emphasised the importance of a social code in which ideals are acted out, and witnessed by the public, and so emulated (the "spectatorial" function). The love of glory as an Enlightenment ideal, and so fame being a laudatory goal for a gentleman. Instill virtue by depicting it, depict virtue and in so doing, realise it. Fame as the conspicuous reward for virtue. (Cato was an ideal alongside Cincinnatus, and one favoured by Washington.)
• The symbol and the Society itself were broadly influenced by the Scottish Enlightenment. ( )