What America’s Founders Learned from Antiquity

Explore the revolutionary era and the profound influence of Greco-Roman classics on America’s founders.

Overview Course No. 60030

Many Americans recognize the influence of ancient Rome and Greece on the founding of the United States. This course reveals the depth of that inspiration and its lasting impact on the nation.

Video Lectures

01: Antiquity Erupts in 18th-Century America

Discover the resurgence of classical antiquity in the 18th century and its influence on America’s creation.

• Duration: 29 min

02: A Republic of Farmers: America and Early Rome

Examine how Colonial Americans modeled their ideals on ancient Roman virtues of civic virtue and independence.

• Duration: 31 min

03: The Dangers of Empire: Rome and Britain

Learn how colonists contrasted their political situation with the decline of Rome under oppressive British rule.

• Duration: 32 min

04: Are We Rome? America’s Conflicted Identity

Explore America’s complex identifications with both the Roman Republic and Empire in shaping national ideology.

• Duration: 33 min

05: American Ambivalence toward Ancient Greece

Investigate historical American perceptions of Greece and their evolution into a symbol of democracy.

• Duration: 31 min

06: The Founders on Carthage and Germania

Understand the founders’ inspirations from Carthage and Saxon histories in opposing British imperialism.

• Duration: 33 min

07: The Lure of Ancient Egypt for a New America

Uncover America’s historical connections with Egypt, influencing both cultural ideology and political thought.

• Duration: 33 min

08: George Washington: The American Cincinnatus

See how Washington drew on classical symbols and figures to define his public and personal life.

• Duration: 34 min

09: John Adams: The American Cicero

Trace John Adams’s political journey, inspired by Cicero, and his impact on American government design.

• Duration: 33 min

10: Thomas Jefferson’s Total World of Classicism

Explore Jefferson’s embrace of classical ideals in his political, architectural, and cultural endeavors.

• Duration: 33 min

11: James Madison’s Classical Vision of Government

Delve into Madison’s use of ancient concepts in crafting the US Constitution and shaping governance.

• Duration: 30 min

12: Benjamin Franklin’s Practical Uses for Antiquity

Follow Franklin’s pragmatic application of classical insights in education, diplomacy, and public philosophy.

• Duration: 28 min

13: Revolutionary Lessons from Roman Histories

Discover how Roman historians shaped American revolutionary thought and historical interpretation.

• Duration: 33 min

14: Classical Ideas in an Enlightenment Age

Understand the integration of classical and Enlightenment thought in the founders’ design of government.

• Duration: 33 min

15: Classicism and the Christianity of the Founders

Explore the fusion of classical and Christian philosophies in shaping America’s ethical and public values.

• Duration: 34 min

16: The Ancient Roots of the US Constitution

Learn how ancient Greek and Roman political ideas influenced the foundational structure of the US.

• Duration: 34 min

17: How the Aeneid Became America’s Founding Myth

See how Virgil’s Aeneid provided a narrative of destiny and nationhood for early America.

• Duration: 34 min

18: How American Women Used the Classical World

Track how women engaged with classical ideas to challenge societal norms and advocate for equality.

• Duration: 32 min

19: How Greece and Rome Shaped American Slavery

Discover the complex influences of classical antiquity on American slavery and emancipation efforts.

• Duration: 33 min

20: Native Americans and the Classical World

Analyze how American colonists and Native peoples interacted with classical concepts and narratives.

• Duration: 32 min

21: The Classical City in America

Examine how classical architecture and planning shaped American urban development post-Revolution.

• Duration: 32 min

22: America’s Classical Homes and Gardens

Study the impact of Neoclassicism on American domestic life, architecture, and fashion.

• Duration: 33 min

23: Classical Strokes in American Painting

Explore classical themes and symbols in the works of early American painters.

• Duration: 32 min

24: The Afterlives of Antiquity in America

Reflect on the enduring legacy of classical thoughts in modern American culture and scholarship.

• Duration: 38 min