The Spark of the Greek Fire

Abstract

This introductory chapter presents an overview of the Greek Revolution and the “The Greek Fire,” a label used by early American newspapers for the national outpouring of sympathy and support for the Greek cause. The elements of the American Greek Fire consisted of enthusiasm for the Greek cause, driven by the belief that democratic ideals bound early Americans to Greece's ancient past. When the Greek Revolution began, American merchants, missionaries, and reformers had a presence in the Ottoman Empire and desired to increase their influence in the region. These American non-state actors both indirectly and directly steered the early course of American foreign affairs in the eastern Mediterranean. At times, they worked at cross-purposes and jeopardized one another's goals in the region. The chapter then looks at Greek classicism, the classical tradition in American politics, and the origins of the American philhellenic movement.