When, in the Course of Human Events It Becomes Necessary

Archibald Willard's symbolic print stages an allegorical confrontation between a lion (representing Britain) and an eagle (America) across ground marked "1776." British soldiers in period dress surround the lion while American colonists stand with the eagle. The composition invokes the Declaration of Independence's opening words to frame the Revolutionary War as a clash of nations. Created for the centennial, the work employs exaggerated ethnic caricature typical of 19th-century political imagery—stock representations used to convey national identity and character. The print demonstrates how visual symbols and caricature served political rhetoric in the decades following independence.