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The Myth and Meaning of Washington’s Crossing | Salt Lake City News
Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” electrified America with its dramatic, heroic vision of the Revolutionary War’s turning point — even as it stretched history for emotional impact. Emerging amid post-Compromise of 1850 tensions and the looming Civil War, the artwork tapped into a national hunger for unity and courage, becoming a rallying symbol despite its inaccuracies. Critics initially hailed it as pure inspiration, but during the Civil War, some found it too simplistic or even vulgar. Modern historians reveal the real crossing was a brutal, desperate gamble…
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