Supervisor: Professor Katharina Volk, Department Chair of Columbia University Classics Department
Introduction
Despite Classically derived symbols proliferating symbols of the state, the persistence of neoclassical architecture, and Latin legal terminology, many people feel that Classics is largely irrelevant to politics in the modern United States. These features have become integral parts of the system throughout history, although the implication of their origins is more recently ignored. However, the Classics were a shared language of innovation and virtue for the founding fathers. In the 18th century, the American educational system emphasized the Classics as a gateway into modern thought while excluding the non-male and non-elite through the language boundary of Latin and Greek. This common background united the Framers, forming the basis of their debates about the new democracy. The Framers equated themselves with the heroes of antiquity, using pseudonyms such as "Brutus" and "Publius" to grant legitimacy to their respective Anti-Federalist or Federalist perspectives. Furthermore, Classical regimes served as models (and anti-models) for good government, and debates throughout the Constitutional Convention referenced ancient history to support their ideas about how the Constitution should be structured. Although much research has been done to establish the robust connection between the Classics and the United States Constitution, less has focused on the political and societal impact of this connection, which is the aim of this project.
Research Questions
1) How well did the Framers' Classically-based arguments predict issues that the new government would face?
2) To what extent did the United States Constitution begin a cultural break from Classical history and rhetoric?
3) Did the prevalent use of Classical allusion reinforce the Framers' biases and serve as a knowledge barrier to exclude people who were not white, male, and wealthy?
Methodology and Objectives
During this project, I aim to conduct a full review of the debates and proceedings leading up to and during the Constitutional Convention, cataloguing and analyzing various references and allusions to Classical Greece and Rome. Furthermore, I hope to read selections from the most influential historians and philosophers to the Founders in their original languages, tracing the development of the ideas that underscored their idea of "good government" throughout history. I also hope to use a number of secondary sources to develop a greater understanding of Constitutional History, so that I might connect the conclusions that I have drawn from my primary sources to their impacts on policies and legislation.