Impact on Founding Fathers
The founding fathers were heavily influenced by Greek and Roman ideals because the colonial education system focused almost exclusively on the study of the classics. Colonial colleges required applicants to have knowledge of Greek and Latin languages, as well as the ability to discuss many works of ancient writers before granting them admission. This intense immersion in the classics only deepened when students stepped into the classroom (Wolverton, 2004). As Dr. Joe Wolverton (2004) wrote in his essay The Founding Fathers & the Classics, “the classics became a well from which the Founders drank deeply,” and it cannot be denied that this is true as over half of this group of men were college educated. He further summed up the importance of this immersion for American political theory when he stated that the founders “were taught that free societies were sustained by a virtuous populace, and that, if a society were to abandon a study of the classics, that same society would eventually abandon the virtues championed by the classical authors” (Wolverton, 2004, para. 7). The impact these ancient civilizations made upon the thought process of this group as a whole is enormous.
Follow the links to learn more about the classical education of the Founding Fathers and their influence on other aspects of the founding of the United States of America.
Follow the links to learn more about the classical education of the Founding Fathers and their influence on other aspects of the founding of the United States of America.