Ancient Greece Influence On America

Impacts of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece on America

Most of America considers itself a “Great” nation. Whether this means powerful, intelligent, flourishing, thriving, et cetera, is unclear. In order to explore where America obtained the inspiration for its greatness, I am going to walk through the influence of the great Greek and Roman cultures and Empires (so to speak). These ancient civilizations were among the first that had governments of democracy and sophistication, of elections and thriving economies on a mass scale. America needed a strong, binding and uniting foundation of government and that is what it got from drawing upon these ancient civilizations. The entire way that the American government works and thrives today is

The American Constitution was drafted by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson himself was greatly influenced by Greek and Roman culture, hence being called philhellenic by scholars. With the inspiration of the Roman Republic, the Greek Democracy, the Spartan democracy, and the Carthaginian aristocracy, the United States government was brought into concept (CONS 1). The way that the American Colonies demanded independence and their attitude during the entire ordeal was key in deciding the foundational ideals for the new government. Our founding fathers were well-read in the classics (Greek and Latin written), and some of them even knew the languages, according to the Federalist Papers. American school systems used Aristotle, Plato, and other Greek and Roman scholars, philosophers, and such to be the basis of lessons and guidance (CONS 1). The United States has this idea that has generally been agreed upon, that someone is “innocent until proven guilty.” This idea came from the Romans! Much of our law/justice system is based off of the Romans and their

We even have boxing fights like Rome once had gladiator fights. “Bread and circuses — today’s bridge cards and ESPN...” says an article by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies, “…unemployed and underemployed people are fed and entertained and even have a vicarious outlet for frustration, anger, and violence.” The American entertainment system was inspired by the Roman way of entertainment. Rome was known for its gladiator fights, long parties, and economy along with that (HAUE