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SYLLABUS

The Classical Roots of American Culture

Course Length: 15 weeks
Credits: 3
Course Level: 100

Course Description

Classical Greece and Rome have had a profound influence on many aspects of western civilization, in general, and American culture, in particular. From the time of the first European settlements in Virginia and Massachusetts through the early national period and beyond, classical models influenced ethical, legal, political, oratorical, artistic, and educational ideas (and ideals), sometimes overtly, sometimes more subtly. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, however, interest in classical models began to wane: colleges no longer required students to study Greek and Latin, and classical culture was widely perceived as being the preserve of aristocrats and scholars. Despite its diminution in prominence, the legacy of antiquity nevertheless continues to permeate many aspects of contemporary American culture, just as it did in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

 

In this course, students will consider the impact of classical literature, art, and architecture on American culture, especially during the colonial and early national periods, in order to acquire a greater appreciation of the classical roots of various elements of American culture.

 

Learning Goals

By the end of this course, students will acquire a basic understanding of:

1. classical Greek and Roman civilization; 

2. the classical origins of various American educational, artistic, and intellectual traditions;

3. how classical culture has shaped the development of American culture.

 

Required Texts

Richard, C.J. Greeks and Romans Bearing Gifts: How the Ancients Inspired the Founding Fathers (Rowman and Littlefield 2008).

Richard, C.J. The Founders and the Classics: Greece, Rome, and the American Enlightenment (Cambridge [MA] 1994).

Winterer, C. The Culture of Classicism: Ancient Greece and Rome in American Intellectual Life, 1780-1910 (Baltimore 2002).

 

Reserve Texts

Boatwright, M.T. A Brief History of the Romans (Oxford 2006).

Kirk, R. The Roots of American Order, 4th Edition (ISI Books 2003).

Malamud, M. Ancient Rome and Modern America (Wiley-Blackwell 2008).

Meckler, M. Classical Antiquity and the Politics of America (Waco 2006).

Nash, G. Books and the Founding Fathers (Louisville 2007).

Pomeroy, S. A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture (Oxford 2004).

Reinhold, M. Classica Americana: The Greek & Roman Heritage in the United States (Detroit 1984).

Winterer, C. The Mirror of Antiquity: American Women and the Classical Tradition, 1750-1900 (Ithaca 2007).

 

Grading Policy

Homework/Participation: 100 points

Oral Presentation: 100 points

3 Quizzes: 100 points each = 300 points

2 Exams: 150 points each = 300 points

Final Exam: 200 points

 

Your final grade will be based on a 1000-point scale:

 

A = 930-1000 points, A- = 900-929, B+ = 870-899, B = 830-869, B- = 800-829, C+ = 770-799, 

C = 730-769, C- = 700-729, D+ = 670-699, D = 630-669, D- = 600-629, and F = below 600.

 

Homework/Participation

Participation is an integral component of the course, as all readings will be discussed in class. Students will be expected not only to come to class prepared, but also to contribute on a regular basis. Attendance is mandatory, as exams will emphasize material raised in lectures and class discussions. Each unexcused absence will result in five points being subtracted from your grade in this category.

 

Oral Presentation

Students, working in small groups, will present a state’s official seal (with Latin motto). As part of the presentation, students are required to discuss the origins of the seal, the significance of the seal’s images, and the relationship between the images and the Latin motto. Each group is required to create a PowerPoint presentation (with bibliography). Each group will be given 15-20 minutes for their presentation, after which they will field questions and lead a brief discussion.

 

Quizzes

Quizzes will focus on the factual content of texts assigned as homework. Students will be required to identify, answer questions about, and write brief analyses of material from the assigned readings.

 

Exams

Exams will require students to demonstrate an understanding of classical influences on American culture as articulated in readings, class discussions, and lectures. Students will be expected to present a synthesis of ancient and modern interaction on a variety of subjects. The exam will consist primarily of short answer and essay questions.  

 

Final Exam

The Final Exam will consist of two parts. Students will be required (1) to identify and discuss classically-inspired works of art and architecture and (2) to examine the legacy of antiquity in American culture in a comprehensive essay that will cover material from the entire semester.

 

Course Schedule

[nb: English translations of all ancient “Primary Source” readings may be found online at http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/collection?collection=Perseus:collection:Greco-Roman]

 

UNIT I: GREEKS AND ROMANS

 

Week 1

 

Topic: Ancient Sources

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “The Storytellers and the Founders” (Richard [2008], pp. 1-22).

            Discussion Questions

  1. Who are some of the ancient authors that influenced the Founders? 
  2. What was their subject-matter and/or notable literary achievements? 
  3. What role did classical Greek and Latin play in the eighteenth-century American educational system? 
  4. Do you agree with John Adams’ assertion that, “you will ever remember that all the End of study is to make you a good Man and useful Citizen” (pg. 21)? 
  5. How important were classical authors to the Founders for understanding the ancient world?

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Herodotus, Histories 1.1.0; Thucydides, Peloponnesian War 1.1 and 1.22; Polybius, Histories 1.1-4; Livy, History of Rome “Preface.”

            Discussion Questions

  1. What are some basic assumptions and goals of Herodotus, Thucydides, Polybius, and Livy?

 

[Suggested Reading: “Order, the First Need of All” (Kirk, pp. 3-10) and “Books and the Founding Fathers” (Nash, pp. 10-29)]

 

Topic: Sparta

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “Sparta and Individual Rights” (Richard [2008], pp. 23-32).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What are the chief characteristics of Spartan society and government? 
  2. What are some strengths  and weaknesses of these systems? 
  3. Who is the main source of information about Sparta for the Founders? 
  4. What lessons did the Founders learn from Sparta?

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Plutarch, Life of Lycurgus.

            Discussion Questions

  1. What are some specific elements of Plutarch’s Life of Lycurgus that might have been of particular interest to the Founders?

 

[Suggested Reading: “Sparta” (Pomeroy, pp. 91-109)]

 

Week 2

 

Topic: Greece and Persia

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “The Persian Wars and the Superiority of Republican Government” (Richard [2008], pp. 33-48).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What are the highlights of Persia’s rise to power? 
  2. What are the origins and chief characteristics of Athenian democracy? 
  3. What are some of the major events and outcomes of the Ionian Revolt and the Persian Wars? 
  4. What lessons did the Founders learn from these events?

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Herodotus, Histories 7.210-228 (Thermopylae).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What is particularly striking and/or memorable about Herodotus’ account of the Spartan defeat at Thermopylae in 480 BC?

 

[Suggested Reading: “The Rise of Persia” and “The Wars Between Greece and Persia” (Pomeroy, pp. 122-137)]

 

Topic: Athens and Sparta in the Fifth Century

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “Athens and the Perils of Democracy” (Richard [2008], pp. 49-84).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What are some major events and who are some prominent individuals that contributed to the expansion of Athenian influence after the Persian Wars? 
  2. What are some of the causes, major events, and outcomes of the Peloponnesian War? 
  3. How does the trial and death of Socrates reflect on Athenian democracy? 
  4. What lessons did the Founders learn from the rise and fall of Athens in the fifth century?

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Thucydides, Peloponnesian War 2.35-46 (Pericles’ “Funeral Oration”).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What is the purpose of Pericles’ speech?  
  2. According to Pericles, what are the distinguishing characteristics of Athenian democracy?

 

[Suggested Reading: “The Peloponnesian War” (Pomeroy, pp. 200-224)]

 

***QUIZ 1***

 

Week 3

 

Topic: The Fall of Greece

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “The Fall of Greece and the Need for a Strong Central Government” (Richard [2008], pp. 85-96).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What happened to Sparta in the decades following the Peloponnesian War? How did Philip II of Macedon come to dominate Greece? 
  2. After the death of Alexander the Great, which nation eventually dominates Greece? 
  3. What lessons did the Founders learn from the fall of Greece?

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Demosthenes, Philippic 1.

            Discussion Questions

  1. What are some specific elements of Demosthenes’ Philippic 1 that might have been of particular interest to the Founders?

 

[Suggested Reading: “Phillip II and the Rise of Macedon” (Pomeroy, pp. 258-269)]

 

Topic: The Rise of the Roman Republic

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “Early Rome and Republican Virtue” (Richard [2008], pp. 97-128).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What role do the Etruscans and Greeks play in early Roman history? 
  2. What are some of the chief characteristics of early Rome? 
  3. Who are some of Rome’s early heroes? 
  4. How does Rome  come to dominate Italy? 
  5. What are some significant features of the Roman Republic?
  6.  What are the origins, major events, and outcomes of the Punic Wars? 
  7. What lessons did the Founders learn from the accounts of early Roman history?

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Polybius, Histories 6.11-18 (Roman Constitution) and Livy, History of Rome 3.26-29 (Cincinnatus).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What impact did Polybius’ description of the Roman Constitution have on the founders? 
  2. What are some specific elements of Livy’s story of Cincinnatus that might have been of interest to the Founders?

 

[Suggested Reading: “The Early Republic” and “Wars with Carthage” (Boatwright, pp. 25-31 and 59-65)]

 

Week 4

 

Topic: The Fall of the Roman Republic

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “The Fall of the Roman Republic and the Need for Vigilance” (Richard [2008], pp. 129-160).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What are some of the effects of Roman expansion after the second Punic War? 
  2. What are some major events and outcomes of Rome’s civil wars? 
  3. What lessons did the Founders learn from the fall of the Roman Republic?

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Sallust, War with Catiline 51-52 (speeches of Caesar and Cato) and 53-54 (Sallust’s summary).

            Discussion Questions

  1. In Sallust’s War with Catiline, which qualities of Caesar and Cato made them such compelling figures to the Founders? 

 

[Suggested Reading: “End of the Republic: Caesar’s Dictatorship” (Boatwright, pp. 142-166)].

 

Topic: The Roman Empire

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “The Roman Emperors and the Preciousness of Liberty” (Richard [2008], pp. 161-178).

            Discussion Questions

  1. What are some of the chief characteristics of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero? 
  2. What lessons did the Founders learn from the accounts of the early Roman Empire?

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Suetonius, Caligula 13-14 (entrance into Rome), 24 (incest with Drusilla), and 27 (brutality).

            Discussion Questions

  1. How would you characterize the different stages of Caligula’s reign?

 

[Suggested Reading: “The Early Principate (A.D. 14-69): The Julio-Claudians, the Civil War of 68-69, and Life in the Early Empire” (Boatwright, pp. 201-221)]

 

***EXAM 1***

 

UNIT II: CLASSICS IN COLONIAL AMERICA

 

Week 5

 

Topic: Classical Education in Colonial America

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “The Classical Conditioning of the Founders” (Richard [1994], pp. 12-38) and “Classical Education in Colonial America” (Ziobro in Meckler, pp. 13-28).

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): The Curriculum of the Boston Latin Grammar School (1712) [http://www.constitution.org/primarysources/grammar.html] and The Curriculum of the Latin and Greek Preparatory School of the University of Pennsylvania (1795) [http://www.holycross.edu/departments/classics/wziobro/ClassicalAmerica/PAgramsc.htm].  

           

            Discussion Questions

  1. What was the typical curriculum of a public grammar school in eighteenth-century America? 
  2. What were some common teaching methods? 
  3. What were some typical college entrance requirements and curricula? 
  4. What activities and events outside the classroom reinforced the classical conditioning of students? 
  5. What is a “commonplace book”? 
  6. What are some lessons that Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and others learned from classical authors?

 

[Suggested Reading: “The Female World of Classicism in Eighteenth-Century America” (Winterer [2007], pp. 12-39)]

 

Week 6

 

Topic: Classical Models

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “Symbolism” (Richard [1994], pp. 39-52) and “Models” (Richard [1994], pp. 53-84).

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Herodotus, Histories 1.29-34 (Cleobis and Biton); Joseph Addison, Cato Act 1, Scene 4 (praise of Roman virtue) [http://www.constitution.org/addison/cato_act1.htm].

           

            Discussion Questions

  1. Why did the Founders use pseudonyms in their writings? 
  2. What are some prominent examples? 
  3. How did classical architecture influence Thomas Jefferson’s designs for the Virginia and United States Capitol buildings and his own home, Monticello? 
  4. Why did the Founders utilize classical symbols in public spaces? 
  5. To which ancient Greeks and Romans were the Founders compared? 
  6. Which ancient models of society and government influenced the Founders?

 

[Suggested Reading: “Classical Influences and Eighteenth-Century American Political Thought,” (Reinhold, pp. 94-115)]

 

***QUIZ 2***

 

Week 7

 

Topic: Classical Antimodels

  • Required Reading (Modern): “Antimodels” (Richard [1994], pp. 85-122).

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Suetonius, Domitian.

           

            Discussion Questions

  1. What was the purpose of studying history for the Founders? 
  2. Who were some of the Founders’ “antimodels”? 
  3. What were some of the Founders’ societal “antimodels”? 
  4. According to Suetonius, what were the chief characteristics of Domitian?

 

[Suggested Reading: “Opponents of Classical Learning in America during the Revolutionary Period” (Reinhold, pp. 116-141)]

 

Week 8

 

Topic: Mixed Government and Classical Pastoralism

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “Mixed Government and Classical Pastoralism” (Richard [1994], pp. 123-168).

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Polybius, Histories 6.4 (cycle of governments) and Federalist #18 [http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=762].

           

           Discussion Questions

  1. What are the origins of mixed government theory? 
  2. According to Polybius, what is the natural cycle of governments? 
  3. What are some criticisms of the Roman constitution? 
  4. What are some post-classical thoughts on mixed government theory? 
  5. How did ideas about mixed government theory influence American state constitutions? 
  6. What did John Adams consider the downfall of Rome, Sparta, and Athens? 
  7. What were James Madison and Alexander Hamilton’s attitudes regarding mixed government theory? 
  8. What were some Antifederalist criticisms about mixed government theory? 
  9. What is “classical pastoralism”?

 

[Suggested Reading: “Classical Antiquity and Early Conceptions of the United States Senate,” Richard in Meckler, pp. 29-40]

 

***EXAM 2***

 

UNIT III: CLASSICS IN THE EARLY NATIONAL PERIOD AND BEYOND

 

Week 9

 

Topic: Ancient Rome and the New Nation

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “Antiquity in the New Nation” (Winterer [2002], pp. 10-43).

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): “Felton’s Memorial of Dr. Popkin,” North American Review 75 (1852) [http://books.google.com/books?id=k90AAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA473&dq=north+american+review+1852+popkin#v=onepage&q=&f=false].

           

            Discussion Questions

  1. What accounts for the increased dissemination of classical material in the mid- to late-eighteenth century? 
  2. In what ways do college curricula change during this period and what new uses do college graduates find for their classical learning? 
  3. Why are Roman models generally preferred over Greek? 
  4. What is the most notable exception? 
  5. Why is the classical tradition problematic for women? 
  6. How do classical models contribute to American oratory, art, and architecture? 
  7. Why is knowledge of Greek and Latin so highly valued?

 

[Suggested Reading: “Exemplary Romans in the Early Republic” (Malamud, pp. 9-33) and “The Rise of the Roman Matron, 1770-1790” (Winterer [2007], pp. 40-67)]

 

Week 10

 

Topic: From Rome to Greece

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “The Rise of Greece” (Winterer [2002], pp. 44-76) and “Philhellenism in America in the Early National Period” (Reinhold, pp. 214-220).

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Edgar Alan Poe, To Helen (1831) [http://infomotions.com/etexts/literature/american/1800-1899/poe-to-715.htm].

           

            Discussion Questions

  1. Why and in what ways do college curricula begin to change in the early nineteenth century? 
  2. How do the careers of John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson reflect the changing American intellectual climate? 
  3. What are some of the objections to classicism in the Jacksonian era? 
  4. What impact does Germany’s “New Humanism” have on American colleges? 
  5. What role does Edward Everett play in popularizing classical Greek culture in America? 
  6. What contributes to American enthusiasm for classical Greek culture? 
  7. How does philhellenism affect American society?

 

[Suggested Reading: “Grecian Luxury, 1800-1830” (Winterer [2007], pp. 102-141)]

 

***QUIZ 3***

 

Week 11

 

Topic: Classics in the Antebellum Era

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “From Words to Worlds, 1820-1870” (Winterer [2002], pp.77-98) and “Rome and the Politics of Slavery” (Malamud, pp. 70-98).

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Louisa S. McCord, Caius Gracchus Act 3, Scene 4 (Gracchus addressing the Roman senate) [http://books.google.com/books?id=wPbm9L0qrO8C&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=louisa+s.+mccord+caius+gracchus&source=bl&ots=cSgiy1g3y4&sig=EW1eIXrR9hWTQ_H-pVgJ4NIlHvc&hl=en&ei=xx13So6aM92ntgeF5t2WCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=&f=false] and Edward Everett, “Gettysburg Oration,” 1863 (invocation of classical Athens) [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Oration].

           

            Discussion Questions

  1. What is the typical college curriculum in the Antebellum era and why does Winterer characterize it as shifting from “words to worlds”? 
  2. How does Goethe’s dictum – “Everyone should be Greek in his own way! But he should be Greek!” – echo American attitudes towards antiquity? 
  3. How does the study and appreciation of Homer and Greek tragedy change? 
  4. How are classical models used to oppose and/or support American slavery? 
  5. Who was Louisa S. McCord and for what purposes did she compose her play Caius Gracchus.

 

[Suggested Reading: “Classical Oratory and Fears of Demagoguery in the Antebellum Era” (Winterer in Meckler, pp. 41-54)]

 

Week 12

 

Topic: Classics in the Gilded Age

  • Required Reading (Contemporary): “Classical Civilization Consecrated, 1870-1910” (Winterer [2002], pp. 99-151).

 

  • Required Reading (Primary Source): Charles Francis Adams, A College Fetich (Phi Beta Kappa Address at Harvard University, 1883) [http://books.google.com/books?id=G7QoAAAAYAAJ&dq=charles+francis+adams+phi+beta+kappa&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=6yFj9UBnIz&sig=7tRgK_b--NnwxBcAp0hQ-GvHUkU&hl=en&ei=0SR3SoOqEeWltgePmuGWCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false].

           

            Discussion Questions

  1. How does the typical college curriculum change in the Gilded Age and how do those changes reflect changes in Gilded Age society, in general? 
  2. What are some of the arguments against classical education? 
  3. What is “liberal culture” and how is it used to defend the study of antiquity? 
  4. What is the significance of the shift from classicism to the humanities in colleges? 
  5. How does the rise of the humanities affect educational opportunities for women? 
  6. By the end of the Gilded Age, what role does classical learning play in the public and private spheres?  

 

[Suggested Reading: “The Rise of Populism, the Decline of Classical Education, and the Seventeenth Amendment” (Meckler in Meckler, pp. 69-82)]

 

Weeks 13-14

 

Topic: Student Presentations

 

***FINAL EXAM***

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