Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/884685
Republicans gave more attention to the masses, the unknown peoples who fought and died for America's independence. These soldiers and sailors, many of whom were small landowners, apprentices, tradesmen, artisans, and laborers, welcomed the acclaim and gravi- tated towards Republican Party ideology and its more democratic means of commemoration. Even so, Repub- licans had to carefully undermine Federalist efforts to channel the memory of Washington without insulting the symbol or appearing ungrateful for his contribu- tions to the American experiment. 6 With their control of Congress due to expire in the spring of 1801, Federalists moved quickly to pass legis- lation that would create a more opulent tomb for Wash- ington and emphasize their connection to the man. In December 1800 Virginia Representative Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee introduced a resolution that called for the "erection of a Mausoleum to George Washington." This colossal monument would be made of "American granite and marble, in pyramidal form one hundred feet square at the base, and of a proportionate height." Republicans immediately rejected the idea with an array of arguments: the mausoleum was a waste of pub- lic funds; Washington was not a Pharaoh or all-know- ing deity; a proper means to commemorate Washing- ton would be by emulating his example, not amassing stones; and perhaps the most powerful argument, that such a tomb was monarchical and aristocratic in nature. While the Federalist House managed to pass the legisla- lation, small changes made by the Senate sent it back for a confirmation vote. Public opinion now coalesced behind the Republicans, and Washington's mausoleum ultimately failed 34-49. With the influx of Republi- can representatives in both the House and the Senate in March 1801, any possibility that Washington might be entombed in an elaborate Federalist sepulcher disap- peared. 7 While there would be no Washington pyramid, Thornton's suggestion for a tomb was carried forward by the successive architects of the Capitol. Hired first by President Thomas Jefferson as surveyor of the Public Buildings, Benjamin Henry Latrobe altered Thornton's designs for the South Wing and oversaw construction until the War of 1812 interrupted the building's progress. After the British burned the Capitol, Latrobe Fig. 7. Photograph of James Sharples's portrait of Bushrod Washington Fig. 8. This portrait of Charles Bulfinch is by George B. Matthews, after an 1842 drawing by Alvan Clark. 6 THE CAPITOL DOME