This lively and engaging book is the only popular work to explore the profound impact of Ancient Greece and Rome on the founding fathers. Recoun... read full description
reviews
Dec 14, 2008
Ro
rated it: 
This book proves the age-old adage: Learn from history, or you will be doomed to repeat it. The structure of the book demonstrates just how useful it can be to diligently study history (in the case of the military strategies surrounding the American Revolution) and also how profoundly the great men and women in history influence the minds of future history-makers.
Each chapter focuses on a particular lesson the Founding Fathers learned from the Greeks and Romans and begins with a brie More...
Each chapter focuses on a particular lesson the Founding Fathers learned from the Greeks and Romans and begins with a brie More...
Jan 17, 2011
Rob
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If you are like me, you've always been told that the Founding Fathers were inspired by a system of self-government by the ancient histories of the Romans and the Greeks. If you are also like me, you have been surprised by the lack of books available on this topic. Dr. Richard has filled that gap with this wonderful work. Each chapter takes you through the major eras of of Roman and Greek history, as told by their contemporaries (e.g., Cicero, Demosthenes, Polybius). This is followed by a descrip
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Jan 23, 2009
Eric
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It's like the author asked me what type of book I would most want to read and then wrote it. This work combines two of my favorite subjects to read about, ancient Greco-Roman civilization and the Founding Fathers (with a little bit about classic university education thrown in for good measure). If you are at all interested in these two subject then I highly recommend this book. It explains some of what made the Founders paranoid-schizos and provides some depth to the context of the Federalist
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Feb 05, 2009
Bob
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Another interesting read filling in a gap in my education about history. The popular canon of common literature sure has changed in the past 250 years. Our education system completely overlooks this source of influence on our founding fathers.
Apr 06, 2009
Matt
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The first part of each chapter is an overview of a part of Greek or Roman history. If you are already familiar with these subjects, you won't find much here. What is worthwhile for any reader is Richard's exploration of how the Founders views of government were informed by each historical topic. He critiques the reliability of each ancient source, but points out that regardless of what we now know about them, the stories in those sources were influential on our culture and government.
Oct 20, 2011
Theresa
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I enjoyed seeing how the Founding Fathers interpreted the Greek and Roman classics, and what they borrowed and didn't borrow. Very interesting book.
Oct 20, 2008
Oswald
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This book really didn't teach me anything new. I recommend, however, to read the "The Lesson" section of each chapter, which is at the end of the every chapter. This section entails the book's purpose: an explanation of how the Greeks and Romans influenced the Founding Fathers. I recommend doing that if you already know the basic history of Ancient Greece and Rome. If you don't, then read the entire book so that you can grasp the message.
I did almost die of laughter when I More...
I did almost die of laughter when I More...
Apr 29, 2010
Kristie
rated it:
So much more than any history class ever taught me. It teachs so much about politics too, very good read.
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