Guidance from the Ancients: How Greek and Latin Literature Inspired the Founding Fathers

Centuries before Enlightenment philosophy took hold, some of the young nation’s sharpest minds were already looking further back—to Athens and Rome—for guidance. This inaugural Center Stage event traces that surprising thread, revealing how deeply the classical world shaped the birth of American democracy.

Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and George Wythe all immersed themselves in Greek and Latin literature, and those studies left a lasting imprint on the institutions and constitutional ideas that still define the country today.

Join us for an evening that reframes the familiar founding story and uncovers the ancient texts hiding in its foundations.

Leading the conversation is Mitch Brown, Assistant Professor of Classical Studies at William & Mary, whose research explores classical drama and its influence on the political and personal lives of the founding generation.

Arrive early to mingle, stay for a lecture that connects two worlds two thousand years apart, and bring your questions for the discussion that follows.