Amerikanen in toga. (Dutch/Flemish)

This contribution focuses on the leaders of the American Revolution and early American Republic and how they were inspired by the ideology of classical republicanism. Most of the American Founding Fathers had enjoyed a thorough classical training. They used this knowledge and these insights in dealingwith the unique historic situation when their resistance against Great Britain resulted in independence and the creation of the United States of America. Due to their belief that the past was to serve as a model for the present, they adopted the principles and administrative structure of the early Roman Republic for their mission to transform a colony into a new state. When necessary, in order to prevent the failures (and decline) of their classical example and to maintain liberty and virtue, they adapted American government to American circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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