Note: This blog post quotes from some historical documents, which contain words that would now be considered offensive. These words are only in quotation, and do not represent the views of this blog.
Did the Greeks and Romans influence the Founding Fathers? Personally, I believe that they did indeed do so, but I should nonetheless first acknowledge the only contrary quotation that I have yet found. Specifically, in 1782, Alexander Hamilton wrote that “We may preach till we are tired of the theme, the necessity of disinterestedness in republics, without making a single proselyte. The virtuous declaimer will neither persuade himself nor any other person to be content with a double mess of porridge,* instead of a reasonable stipend for his services. We might as soon reconcile ourselves to the Spartan community of goods and wives, to their iron coin, their long beards, or their black broth. There is a total dissimulation in the circumstances, as well as the manners, of society among us; and it is as ridiculous to seek for models in the simple ages of Greece and Rome, as it would be to go in quest of them among the Hottentots [his word, not mine] and Laplanders.” (Source: His writing entitled “The Continentalist No. VI, 4 July 1782”) As Wikipedia informs us, Hamilton’s chosen term of “Hottentots” (again, his word, not mine) was once used to refer to a particular tribe in South Africa, but the term is now considered a little offensive. By contrast, the term “Laplanders” refers to a group in Northeastern Europe, located in and around Finland. Thus, Alexander Hamilton thought it “as ridiculous to seek for models in the simple ages of Greece and Rome” as it was to “go in quest of them” among these other groups.
Alexander Hamilton
The Roman Republic attained to the “utmost height” of human greatness
However, in the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton would later write that “the Roman republic attained to the utmost height of human greatness.” (See the quotation at the beginning of this link for the details.) Thus, Alexander Hamilton still had some admiration for the “simple ages of Greece and Rome” (as he had earlier put it), even if he had some reservations about “seek[ing] for models” among them. What evidence exists, then, that the Ancient Greeks and Romans did indeed influence the Founding Fathers? In this blog post, I will try to answer this question. As I will show here, the evidence is massive, and shows that the Founding Fathers gratefully acknowledged their debt to both Greek and Roman society.
Greek philosopher Socrates
The Founding Fathers liked Socrates, but had more mixed feelings about Plato
First, there is the influence of Greek philosophy. At least some of the Founding Fathers were fans of Socrates. In the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton or James Madison said that “In all very numerous assemblies, of whatever character composed, passion never fails to wrest the sceptre from reason. Had every Athenian citizen been a Socrates, every Athenian assembly would still have been a mob.” (Source: Federalist No. 55) But the Founding Fathers had more mixed feelings about Plato. Thomas Jefferson once wrote that “Socrates had reason indeed to complain of the misrepresentations of Plato; for in truth his dialogues are libels on Socrates.” (Source: Letter to John Adams, 5 July 1814) And multiple Founding Fathers were critical of Plato’s work entitled “Republic.” This was a work in which Plato proposed an absolute monarch called the “philosopher-king.” Thomas Jefferson actually called this work “nonsense” in July 1814, and John Adams said in that same month that his “disgust was shocking” regarding the work. (See this link for the details of these quotations, and for relevant sources.)
Greek philosopher Aristotle
However, they did like Aristotle, and the Roman philosopher Cicero
However, the Founding Fathers were more positive about Aristotle, and about the Roman philosopher Cicero. John Adams once wrote to his famous cousin Samuel Adams that “The best writings of antiquity upon government those I mean of Aristotle, Zeno and Cicero are lost. We have human nature, society, and universal history to observe and study, and from these we may draw, all the real principles which ought to be regarded.” (Source: Letter of 18 October 1790) Thus, John Adams considered Aristotle and Cicero to be among “The best writings of antiquity upon government” (as cited above). Regarding Cicero, John Adams even wrote that “As all the ages of the world have not produced a greater statesman and philosopher united than Cicero, his authority should have great weight. His decided opinion in favor of three branches is founded on a reason that is unchangeable; the laws, which are the only possible rule, measure, and security of justice, can be sure of protection, for any course of time, in no other form of government; and the very name of a republic implies, that the property of the people should be represented in the legislature, and decide the rule of justice.” (Source: “A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America” [1 January 1787], Volume 1, Preface) Thus, John Adams believed that “all the ages of the world have not produced a greater statesman and philosopher united than Cicero” (as cited above).
Roman philosopher Cicero, who was also a statesman
The Founding Fathers tried to learn from the mistakes of the ancients
The Founding Fathers were also fans of Greek and Roman history as well. But they knew that the ancients were not perfect, and were willing to learn from their mistakes. On this point, Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Papers that “Sparta, Athens, Rome, and Carthage were all republics; two of them, Athens and Carthage, of the commercial kind. Yet were they as often engaged in wars, offensive and defensive, as the neighboring monarchies of the same times. Sparta was little better than a wellregulated camp; and Rome was never sated of carnage and conquest.” (Source: Federalist No. 6) And Alexander Hamilton and James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers that “Had the Greeks, says the Abbe Milot, been as wise as they were courageous, they would have been admonished by experience of the necessity of a closer union, and would have availed themselves of the peace which followed their success against the Persian arms, to establish such a reformation. Instead of this obvious policy, Athens and Sparta, inflated with the victories and the glory they had acquired, became first rivals and then enemies; and did each other infinitely more mischief than they had suffered from Xerxes. Their mutual jealousies, fears, hatreds, and injuries ended in the celebrated Peloponnesian war; which itself ended in the ruin and slavery of the Athenians who had begun it.” (Source: Federalist No. 18)
Greek historian Thucydides
The importance of Greek history, and of historians like Thucydides and Polybius
But the Founding Fathers also praised individual historians from classical times. In this regard, Thomas Jefferson once wrote that “In all cases I prefer original author to compilers. for a course of Antient history therefore, of Greece and Rome especially, I should advise the usual suite of Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Diodorus, Livy, Caesar, Suetonius, Tacitus and Dion, in their originals, if understood, and in translations if not.” (Source: Letter to George W. Lewis, 25 October 1825) John Adams gave more specific praise of the Greek historian Thucydides. More specifically, John Adams once wrote a letter to his future-president son John Quincy Adams, in which he said that “I wish to turn your thoughts early to such studies, as will afford you the most solid instruction and improvement for the part which may be allotted you to act on the stage of life … There is no history, perhaps, better adapted to this usefull purpose than that of Thucidides, an author, of whom I hope you will make yourself perfect master, in original language, which is Greek, the most perfect of all human languages.” (Source: Letter of 11 August 1777) John Adams wrote another letter to his son John Quincy Adams that “The writings of Cicero too, you should read in turn. When I speak of reading I dont mean holding a book in hand and dreaming over it— take your pen.—and make yourself master of every sentence.— By all means make yourself master of the Latin tongue and that immediately. Polybius and Plutarch and Sallust as sources of wisdom as well as Roman history, must not be forgotten, nor Dyonissius Hallicarnassensis.[footnote] Read them all in Latin.— Nor would I by any means consent that you forget your Greek [the language in which Polybius wrote]. Keep it alive at least, and improve in it by degrees.” (Source: Letter of 4 October 1790) Thus, in addition to giving further praise of Cicero, John Adams also praised the Greek historian Polybius, who had earlier been used as a source in the Federalist Papers.
Greek historian Polybius
Roman historian Livy
The importance of Roman history, and of historians like Livy and Tacitus
And in regards to the Roman historian Livy, John Adams once wrote another letter to his son John Quincy Adams, in which he said that “From all I have seen and read, I have formed an opinion of my own, and I now give it you as my solemn advice, to make yourself master of the Roman learning. Begin with Livy.— take your book your dictionary, your grammar, your sheet of paper and pen and ink. Begin at the beginning and read the work through— put down in writing every word with its meaning as you find it in Ainsworth. You will find it the most delightful employment you ever engaged in.” (Source: Letter of 4 October 1790) On another occasion, John Adams wrote yet another letter to his son John Quincy Adams, saying that “In company with Sallust, Cicero, Tacitus and Livy, you will learn wisdom and virtue. You will see them represented, with all the charms which language and imagination can exhibit, and vice and folly painted in all their deformity and horror.” (Source: Letter of 18 May 1781) One of the other historians that Mr. Adams mentioned here was Tacitus. Thomas Jefferson was also a great fan of Tacitus. On one occasion, Jefferson said that “Tacitus I consider as the first writer in the world without a single exception. His book is a compound of history & morality of which we have no other example.” (Source: Letter to Anne Cary Randolph Bankhead, 8 December 1808) Thus, he considered Tacitus to be “the first writer in the world without a single exception” (as cited above).
Roman historian Tacitus
Conclusion: The Greeks and Romans did indeed influence the Founding Fathers
Thus, there is significant evidence that the Founding Fathers were fans of Greek and Roman philosophers, and of many Greek and Roman historians. John Adams also referred to “Greek, the most perfect of all human languages” (as cited above), and advised his son to make himself “master of the Latin tongue” (as cited above). From all of these quotations, it seems clear that the Founding Fathers were fans of Greek and Roman learning. Obviously, they did not consider the ancients to be perfect, and learned from the mistakes that the ancients had made – which, admittedly, were numerous. But they also learned from what was good about the Greeks and the Romans, especially their legacy of popular government, and implemented their respective virtues in the founding of our country.
Footnote to this blog post:
One of the founders of the Roman Republic was a man named Publius Valerius Publicola (the last name is also spelled Poplicola). Publius had helped to overthrow the Roman monarchy, and then to replace it with a better form of government that was the Republic.
More than 2,000 years later, the American writers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay would write a series of anonymous “letters to the editor[s]” of newspapers known as the “Federalist Papers.” Rather than write under their own names, these three men used a secret pen name that was none other than “Publius,” which was named after this great Roman statesman from the previous time. (More on that at this link.)
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