How a Forgotten Play Inspired the American Revolution

The passage of time often accentuates the genius of artists and the surprising influence of their work. What starts as something seemingly insignificant can become the rallying cry for a new generation.

Here's a story about a piece of art that changed the course of history, and is known as the single literary inspiration for the American Revolution.

In 1713, a play called "Cato: A Tragedy" was written by a man named Joseph Addison. It was a hit; a Marvel Movie of its day.

HARDCORE TLDR: ⚔️ Caesar beats Pompey, seizes Rome 👑; Cato, loyal to Republic 🏛️, faces tough choice: surrender 🚩 or resist to bitter end 💀? Choosing honor over submission, he bravely picks suicide 🗡️, inspiring others to fight for liberty and virtue ✊🔥.

Cato's stoic resolve and calm acceptance of death underscore the play's central message: that freedom and virtue are worth any sacrifice. Cato’s noble death galvanizes the survivors, leaving them to carry on his ideals of liberty and moral integrity.

While Cato as a historical figure is significant, it's the play itself that changed the course of history. Addison's play grabbed the attention of several founding fathers in their formative years, including George Washington.

Later on, when these fellas were, um, bootstrapping a new country, they were quoting Cato. Faced with the choice of surrendering to the British, or resisting to the bitter end, they chose the latter.

Remember this old chestnut? "Give me liberty, or give me death!" It's a line lifted straight from Addison's play, used to great effect by Patrick Henry in his famous 1775 speech, turning the tide in the fight for America's independence.

How about this one? "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." Nathan Hale's final words before his execution by British soldiers. It's also found in Act IV, Scene 4 of Cato: A Tragedy.

One last quote: "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Tricked ya. No, that's not from Cato, or a B-movie script from Addison. It's from Batman: The Dark Knight. Harvey Dent, a powerful lawmaker, says it.

It (thankfully) hasn't appeared in any congressional bills, or political speeches yet, but it's still early days; it was nearly a century before Cato quotes started appearing in the American lexicon.

How long until we see a quote from a popular movie treated with the same reverence as the Federalist Papers, or as if written on stone tablets from on high? Just as Addison’s Cato shaped democratic ideals, today's artists have the potential to fortify, or even rescue, our democracy.

One final point: funding for the arts is crucial to a functioning democracy. Our country wouldn't exist without it. If you overhear someone dismissing the value of the arts, gently remind them that without art, there would be no America.