"Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze

Emanuel Leutze’s “Washington Crossing the Delaware” is one of the most recognizable images of the American Revolution, yet also one of its most contested for its historical liberties. In this lecture, Rabbi Soloveichik examines the painting’s famous inaccuracies and what they reveal about America. Focusing on the diverse crew behind Washington—black, Native American, immigrant, and colonist—Rabbi Soloveichik suggests that the painting is less a portrait of a single hero than of the nation itself: a fragile, unlikely coalition bound together by a shared mission.