James Earle Fraser’s Contemplation of Justice and Authority of Law Sculptures | BRIdge From The Past

Read summaries of the majority ruling in landmark Supreme Court cases that have had an impact on our rights as citizens.

What does the painting of George Washington resigning his commission in the U.S. Capitol tell us about the importance of the rule of law as a Founding principle? In this episode of BRIdge from the Past, Mary explores John Trumbull’s General George Washington Resigning His Commission painting which depicts Washington resigning as commander in chief of the Continental Army to Congress in December of 1783. What do the setting of this painting and Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence painting have in common? Why was this moment an important choice to be enshrined in the U.S. Capitol?

What does Trumbull’s painting of the Declaration of Independence tell us about the Founding moment and the connection between law and liberty? In this episode of BRIdge from the Past, Mary examines the prominent painting of the Declaration of Independence displayed in the U.S. Capitol. Commissioned by Congress in 1817, artist John Trumbull was tasked with depicting the crucial moment in American history when the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Second Continental Congress. What goals did Trumbull hope to accomplish with this painting? Why was this moment in history chosen to be depicted in the U.S. Capitol?