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The Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati, formed at the end of the American Revolution, took its name from an ancient Roman general who retired back to farming after having been dictator of the republic. The namesake evoked patriotism without ambition, and a bald eagle decorated with vignettes from Cincinnatus's life became the society's insignia.
Membership was open to Revolutionary War commissioned officers and their male descendants. Hamilton frequently defended the society against detractors who criticized its hereditary membership as undemocratic, and he succeeded Washington as its second president general. |