Most of us have a sense of the relationship between the Roman Republic and the government of the United States. For example, our Senate is named for the senior legislative body of the ancient republic. But there is more to the relationship than names as you will see below as we describe how the founders viewed ancient political systems in their efforts to fashion a government for America.
The founders of our country were educated men. Most could read Latin and Greek -- most had studied the history of governments and were well versed in ancient history. The Romans stood out as their chosen model for a political system, not the Greeks. The Athenian and Spartan systems were seen as inappropriate for the new country – the former because it gave too much power to the people and the latter because it operated in a non-economic model (a closed society with no trade).