If someone claimed that a small group of rebels once defeated the strongest, most powerful army in the world, they would sound crazy. As crazy as it sounds, that is the story of the American Revolution.  After fighting for years, the American rebels were fighting a losing battle against the strongest army on the planet: The British Empire.  They had been defeated repeatedly and victory did not look promising.  That is until Christmas night of 1776.  Distraught, exhausted, and barely hanging onto hope, the American forces began to turn the tide when they crossed the Delaware River for an ambush attack on Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey.  Washington Crosses the Delaware, by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, is representative of what America had to go through in order to overcome even the most difficult of hardships. This also portrays America’s transition in the war from defeat to victory, ultimately winning their freedom.  In the painting itself is Washington and his troops, tired and distraught, crossing the icy Delaware River in order to get to Trenton to fight the Hessians.  Gottlieb portrays what it takes to overcome hardships and the transition of defeat to victory by using symbolic objects, soldiers in the boats, and lighting of the landscape itself.

Some of the objects that Leutze uses in the painting symbolize what America had to do in order to overcome the British Empire.  In the painting there are ice burgs that the soldiers have to maneuver their boats around in order to reach the land.  The icebergs are cold and dark, and there are so many it seems impossible to get through.  Ice burgs have always been regarded as immovable objects and have been notoriously known to sink ships.  In order to cross the river, the Americans had to put a lot of effort into getting around these icebergs.  Similar to the icebergs that the Americans were trying to get around, the British Army was an immovable force that the American troops were going to have to overcome in order to win the war. Additionally, the boats that the soldiers are stationed in represents the American’s refusal to give up the fight, despite being such an underdog.  At the time, the British were equipped with giant warships and had the strongest Navy in the world.  Meanwhile, the Americans were stuck with rowboats because that was all the resources they could afford.  As small and as weak as the boats were, they were still able to do their job, which was getting the troops across the river and ultimately turn the tide from defeat to victory.  Furthermore, inside the boat is the American flag, which is one of the most influential symbols in the painting and represents the pride of America and their refusal to give up.  Despite how tired the men in the boat must have been, they continued to raise the flag, which didn’t give them any tactical advantage whatsoever.  They chose to keep the flag waving to show the pride they had for their country and to show how far they would go for freedom.

The soldiers in the painting show a lot about the tenacity of the American fighters in the war.  Nearly every soldier in the boat contributed to the task of crossing the river.  This is symbolic of how America used all the people they had to fight for freedom and how they overcame such a large force.  Furthermore, nearly every soldier in the boat is facing the battle they are headed towards.  Even Washington is shown standing to establish his power amongst the rankings and his dedication to the cause.  Their body language is symbolic of constantly being ready for war, which is exactly what it takes to defeat the largest army in the world.  The facial expressions of the soldiers also say a lot about the heart of the Americans to win the war.  They all have malnourished faces indicating they hadn’t been properly cared for in a long time.  They also all have redness in their faces indicating they haven’t had proper clothing and that the soldiers were cold and wet from crossing the river.  These soldiers had made the conscientious decision of giving their lives in exchange for freedom despite knowing the large force they had to defeat.  

The lighting in the painting is important in showing the transition from defeat to victory.  The river in the painting is dark and eerie which is similar to the rule of the British over America.  Britain had oppressed America at the time with unnecessary taxes and abuse of its citizens.  In order to win the battle, American troops had to cross this river in order to ambush the British troops on the other side.  The American’s crossing the river is symbolic of them finally overcoming the British Empire. Additionally, the lighting of the sky shows the transition in the war from defeat to victory.  The right side of the sky is dark with clouds hovering above the soldiers. This represents the darkness America has overcome and the defeat that was inevitable.  The boats are moving out of the darkness representative of them refusing defeat no matter the cost.  Contrary to right side of the sky, the left side of the sky is much brighter and has rays of sunshine brightening the other side of the river and the land of New Jersey.  The troops crossing this threshold from darkness to light was the turning point in the war from defeat to victory.

The story of the American Revolution is the real life story of David and Goliath. Winning a war against the strongest army in the world despite being out-manned and outgunned is exactly what it takes to overcome hardships. The painting does well in portraying a lot of what happened in the war into one picture.  The transition from victory to defeat, the tired soldiers, and the determination of the Americans are all put into the painting and are representative to the Revolutionary War as a whole.  Although this painting is only about them winning one battle, it ultimately helped them to win the war. Washington and his troops knew what it took to win the war and were ultimately willing to dedicate their lives for a cause that is bigger than they could ever imagine.
