The Roots of American Democracy

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Study Guide: The Roots of American Democracy

Myth:

"The U.S. Constitution is based on the Bible."

Fact:

The founders' main defense of the Constitution - The Federalist Papers - never mentions the Bible, but has nearly 30 references to pagan Greece and Rome.

by Jim Allison

Part 1

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Part 2

Voices for liberty in the ancient world The first yearnings to be free were expressed in Greek epics, tragedies and comedies
The Pagan Roots of Democracy
Reference Article, The Pagan Roots of Democracy, Related Articles
The Contribution of Ancient Athens to American Democracy.
Topic : Sources of the US Constitution
Alexis de Tocqueville: The Traditionalist Roots of Democracy
The Roots of Democracy
The Roots Of Democracy,And A Criticism ...
Kim Dae Jung Speaks Out
The Six Nations: Oldest Living Participatory Democracy on Earth
History of European ideas

Part 3

Moses and the 10 Commandments are featured prominently in the Supreme Court Building. Where do Moses and the 10 Commandments appear in the Supreme Court building? The Supreme Court Building Commission deferred to the artists of the Supreme Court in making decisions. A critique of Catherine Millard's interpretation of the artistic embellishment of the Supreme Court building. Did Madison ever say that our future is staked on the 10 commandments? Did Madison ever say that religion is the foundation of government? Did John Quincy Adams ever say that the American Revolution "connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity?" Thomas Jefferson supported Bible reading in school; this is proven by his service as the first president of the Washington, D.C. public schools, which used the Bible and Watt's Hymns as textbooks for reading.

Part 4

Some Additional References and sources for comparisons between European and American forms of enlightenment (Deism, etc)

The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, Gordon S Wood, University of North Carolina Press (1998)
The Radicalism of the American Revolution, Gordon S Wood, Vintage Books, (1991)
Inventing America, Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, Garry Wills, Vintage Books (1979)
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, Bernard Bailyn, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (1992)
Republics Ancient and Modern, Inventions of Prudence: Constituting the American Regime, By Paul A. Rahe, 3 Volumes. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill & London (1994)