Society of the Cincinnati

the society of the cincinnati took its name from the ancient roman hero lucius quinctius cincinnatus, a hero of the roman republic. in the fifth century bc, the roman senate called on cincinnatus to lead the army of the republic against foreign invaders and granted him dictatorial powers to deal with the crisis facing rome. after leading the army to victory, he resigned his commission, returned power to the senate, and retired to his farm, refusing rewards for serving the republic. for the classical world, cincinnatus was the embodiment of civic virtue—characterized by a willingness to sacrifice private interest and private gain for the good of the public. cincinnatus and the characteristics he demonstrated—humility, unselfish personal sacrifice, commitment to the public welfare, and the subordination of the military to civilian rule—were admired and emulated by the leaders of the american revolution. they believed that these characteristics were essential to the survival of republican