АМЕРИКАНСЬКА КОНСТИТУЦІЯ: РЕЦЕПЦІЯ АНТИЧНОСТІ

Abstract

The article indicates that ancient examples played the essential role during early US history. It was a vital aspect which had a significant impact on the essence of the American Constitution. Delegates of the Philadelphian Convention appealed to the ideas of ancient philosophers as well as historical background of ancient Greece and Rome. It was common for the speeches at the convention to point out various events, connected with the history of Athens, Sparta and Carthage, albeit Roman Republic was the main source for resemblance. The heritage of such ancient philosophers, as Plato, Aristotle, Polybius, Cicero and partly Tacitus and Livy influenced the vision of American political elite of that period, which was particularly represented by Tomas Jefferson, James Wilson, John Adams and George Washington. The article demonstrates that the astonishing number of highly intelligent people with university education participated in the discussions at Philadelphian Convention. Such individuals easily read original Greek and Roman works. The US Founding Fathers widely cited positive examples of federalism and republic, although they made an accent on the negative ancient experience of tyranny in order to justify their views on the Constitution. Therefore, the US Constitution shows in accordance with the text the remarkable influence of ancient thinkers and their ideas concerning this document.