Trumbull insisted to his death that he was painter most suited to officially document the Revolution, and after he completed the first four Rotunda murals he futilely lobbied Congress for the right to paint the second group of murals. It depicts a formative moment of the Revolution, although not the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence. Rather, it portrays the committee charged with drafting the Declaration reporting to the President of the Congress. The Doric cornice of neo-classical architecture alludes to the classical republicanism the founding fathers sought to establish through both the Enlightenment and American revolutions. The second painting installed in the Rotunda in 1820 was the Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, October 19th, 1781.
Balance continues, as does the rationalization and formal ritual emphasized in the Declaration.
Unlike the Declaration , however, this painting revisits an acknowledged defeat, one which ended the war. Notice how the two sides create a rough parity between the armies and their equally dignified groups of flags, troop columns, and horses. Only General Lincoln's superior position on horseback, General George Washington backstage, and the rising smoke from the British side betray the victor. And even here the white horse of the victor harmonizes with the white flag of the vanquished to retain a respectful equanimity. This surrender concludes what Trumbull views as a gentleman's disagreement, a quarrel that has been gravely fought and honorably won.