“The Actors of this Mighty Scene”: George Washington and the Staging of American Enlightenment in 1789

Throughout his life, George Washington admired the theater, and he often deployed theatrical language in his communication. By focusing on theater as metaphor for Washington’s actions in 1789, this thesis frames the first year of Washington’s presidency in the context of “performance.” As Washington was sworn in at the first capital of New York City, there were numerous elements of staging taking place. Using theater and personal self-fashioning as a framework, this work examines Washington and the new republic as a case study in political theater and national statecraft. The nation faced the challenge of creating the office of the presidency within the political and cultural conditions of the period. In this environment, the national veneration of George Washington during his lifetime as military leader, “founding father,” and first president foregrounds evolution of the public sphere as both personal and national as part of enacting of nationhood in 1789.