The American union, and the Birth of Gen. Washington

This sophisticated text, “American Union,” is a Federalist patriotic song. While the Democratic-Republicans used many tunes for their songs, the Federalists seem to have used chiefly old, solidly patriotic British tunes—here “Rule Britannia” (1741) by Thomas Augustine Arne (1710-78). The lyrics were probably written sometime after April 1798 when the XYZ affair was fresh in people’s minds, and it was printed in eight songsters between 1798 and 1800 (R. Keller). After reviewing the history of our Revolution and that of the French, the author asks “Shall we to France a tribute pay?” (verse 5).

The French were interfering with American shipping and refused to receive Charles Pinckney as US minister. President John Adams sent a commission of Pinckney and John Marshall, both Federalists, and Elbridge Gerry, a Republican, to France to secure a treaty of commerce and solve the impasse over a minister. After delays, the commissioners were finally visited by three French agents, later designated in mission dispatches as X, Y, and Z, who suggested a US loan to France and a bribe of $240,000. The Americans refused to make such concessions and foreign minister Charles Maurice de Tallyrand intimated that the French would declare war against the United States. On April 3, 1798, President Adams submitted the “XYZ” correspondence to Congress. This aroused American public opinion regardless of party, and led to a three-year undeclared war with France.

The tribute text, “On the Birth of George Washington,” seems also to be Federalist and probably intended to be sung to “God Save the King,” which has an unusual scansion that fits this text well. When the colonies declared independence in 1776, the transfer of American sentiment from King George to George Washington was enhanced by the use of this tune and the celebration of the general’s birth. The first celebration occurred in 1778 when the band attached to Thomas Proctor’s artillery battalion serenaded Washington in Valley Forge (Camus 80). Observances occurred yearly after that with more and more elaborate festivities. In this text, the last two verses suggest that this romantic lyric was written for Washington’s birthday in 1798, shortly before the retired commander was again called to lead the nation in war, this time against France after the XYZ affair. It was published that same year in the songster titled the Echo (159-61).