Henceforth, as Washington realized perhaps more than anyone, he no longer represented merely himself, the army, or Virginia. He represented the nation, and on him its future rested. That made it all the more noteworthy that he chose, as his first public outing on the following Sunday, to attend Catholic Mass. Washington had an instinctive sense of theater. He spoke more through actions than words. And now he was acting on behalf of the nation.
