Cato, Cincinnatus, and the Classical Soul of the American Revolution (Ad Navseam Ep. 44)

Meta Description: Join Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle in the Vomitorium as they explore how the Greco-Roman classics shaped the American Revolution. From Washington as Cincinnatus to Jefferson’s love of Homer, discover why the Founders were obsessed with Rome.

Introduction: Rockets’ Red Glare in the Vomitorium

Welcome back to the “Vomitorium,” listeners! In Episode 44 of the Ad Navseam Podcast, hosts Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle are feeling particularly patriotic. Recorded just around July 4th, the episode is punctuated by the ambient sounds of fireworks—or “bombs bursting in air”—outside the studio.

It is fitting background noise, because tonight’s topic is the Classics in the American Revolution.

We often think of the Founding Fathers as men of the Enlightenment, driven by reason and new political science. But as Dr. Noe and Dr. Winkle reveal, their minds were just as deeply rooted in the soil of ancient Greece and Rome. They weren’t just reading Locke and Montesquieu; they were reading Cicero, Sallust, and Plutarch.

The Founders’ Classical Conditioning

The discussion is guided by the work of Carl J. Richard, specifically his book The Founders and the Classics: Greece, Rome, and the American Enlightenment (1995).

How did these men become so obsessed with antiquity? It started young. In the 18th century, grammar school students studied the classics from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM and then from 1:00 PM until dark. No gym, no recess, just Latin and Greek.

They memorized Ezekiel Cheever’s Latin grammar.
They translated the dialogues of Mathurin Cordier (John Calvin’s teacher).
They translated Cicero and Vergil into English, then back into Latin.

This intense regimen was known as “Classical Conditioning.” It created a generation of leaders who viewed the ancients not as dusty statues, but as “wise old friends”.

Symbols of a New Republic

Because of this shared education, the Founders used classical symbols as a shorthand for their political ideals. It was a way to claim social status and communicate complex ideas instantly.

James Madison: Had busts of Homer and Socrates in his home (placed right next to busts of himself and Thomas Jefferson).
John Witherspoon: Named his home “Tusculum” after Cicero’s villa.
The Password: During the French and Indian War, George Washington chose “Xanthippe” (Socrates’ wife) as the countersign at Fort Cumberland. Imagine a rough-hewn soldier in the woods shouting “Xanthippe!” to identify himself.
Benedict Arnold: Even the traitor had a classical flair. The signboard of his drugstore featured a Latin motto: “Deeming himself born not for his own, but for the world’s service”. (Irony noted).

Models of Virtue: Cato and Cincinnatus

The Founders didn’t just quote the ancients; they tried to be them. They adopted “models” from Roman history to guide their conduct.

George Washington as Cincinnatus

The most famous model was Cincinnatus, the Roman dictator who saved the Republic and then immediately resigned to return to his plow.

Washington self-consciously modeled his life on this figure.

He refused to resign his command after defeats, solely so he could resign after victory, just like Cincinnatus.
When the war ended in 1783, he withdrew completely from public life to his “villa” at Mount Vernon.
The name “George” even comes from the Greek Georgos (“Farmer”). It was a role he was born to play.

The Cult of Cato

Washington also idolized Cato the Younger, the stoic martyr of the Roman Republic who committed suicide rather than submit to Caesar.

Washington ordered the play Cato (by Joseph Addison) to be performed for the troops at Valley Forge to boost morale, despite a congressional ban on plays.
He frequently quoted Cato’s line: “Tis not in mortals to command success.”

Anti-Models: Caesar and Corruption

If Cato and Cincinnatus were the heroes, who were the villains? The “Anti-Models” were figures like Julius Caesar, Catiline, and the corrupt emperors.

The Founders were terrified of power. They knew from reading Sallust and Tacitus that republics are fragile. They die when luxury (luxuria) and ambition replace virtue (virtus).

To prevent this, they looked to the concept of Mixed Government. They wanted to balance the three forms of government identified by Aristotle:

Monarchy (The President – to provide energy/executive force).
Aristocracy (The Senate – to provide wisdom/stability).
Democracy (The House – to provide popular liberty).

The goal was to prevent any one part from degenerating into despotism, oligarchy, or mob rule (ochlocracy).

The Villain of the Story: Benjamin Rush

Every story needs a bad guy, and for Dr. Noe, that man is Benjamin Rush. Rush was a signer of the Declaration and a physician (famous for his “Thunderbolts,” which were essentially powerful laxatives). Despite being an “avid classicist” early in life, Rush turned on the classics with “unaccountable fury” in 1788.

He argued that Latin and Greek were elitist and useless for a modern republic. He famously wrote that if every Greek and Latin book (except the New Testament) were burned in a bonfire, the world would be wiser for it. Ironically, as Richard points out, Rush quoted Roman authors more frequently during his anti-classics crusade than before. He couldn’t escape his own education.

Latin and Greek Language Spotlight

For the Latin students and history buffs, here are key terms from this episode:

Georgos: (Greek) Farmer. The etymology of “George”.
Cincinnatus: The curly-haired one. The model of the citizen-soldier.
Virtus: Virtue, manliness, courage. The essential quality for a republic.
Luxuria: Luxury. The force that destroys republics (according to Sallust).
Ochlocracy: Mob rule. The degeneration of democracy.
Cedant Arma Togae: “Let arms yield to the toga.” Cicero’s motto for civilian control of the military, a principle embedded in the US Constitution.

The Gustatory Parting Shot

We leave you with a quote from Jeanette Rallison, reflecting on American culinary independence:

“I don’t care what you Yanks say, cheese should not whiz.”

Valete!