Was America Founded on Christian Values or Roman Values?
🇺🇸 Was America Founded on Christian Values or Roman Values?
The comparison we are building can be divided into two historical cycles: the foundation of the United States parallels the Roman Republic, while the modern United States (after World War I) reflects aspects of Imperial Rome. The Founders studied the fall of the Western Roman Empire closely and applied its lessons to the American project. They feared that luxury and excess would erode republican virtue, and they debated what a just and stable empire might look like. Jefferson’s idea of an “Empire of Liberty” drew directly from Roman universal ideals. At the same time, the Founders warned that any empire—American or Roman—could threaten freedom without strong checks and balances.
https://enlightngo.org/language/en/post/4172
Introduction
Many modern political groups claim that the United States was founded on explicitly Christian values. However, a closer look at the historical record shows that America’s political foundations draw far more heavily from the Roman Republic and classical philosophy than from Christian doctrine. Christianity shaped the culture of early America, but Rome shaped the structure of its government.
🏛️ 1. The Founders Looked Directly to Rome
The architects of the United States were deeply educated in Roman history. They studied the Roman Republic as a model of civic virtue, mixed government, and resistance to tyranny. This influence appears throughout the American system:
- Separation of powers
- Checks and balances
- A Senate
- Civic virtue and public duty
- Fear of concentrated power
These are Roman political ideas, not Christian ones. The Founders saw Rome as a practical guide for building a stable republic.
📜 2. Classical Philosophy Shaped the Constitution
The Founders drew heavily from classical thinkers such as Cicero, Polybius, and the Stoics. These sources emphasized natural law, republicanism, and the rule of law. Combined with Enlightenment thinkers like Locke and Montesquieu, they formed the intellectual backbone of the Constitution.
The result was a government grounded in:
- Natural rights
- Popular sovereignty
- Mixed government
- Rule of law
These principles come from classical and Enlightenment traditions, not from Christian scripture.
✝️ 3. Christianity Influenced Culture, Not Constitutional Design
While Christianity was culturally significant in early America, the Constitution itself is a secular document:
- It does not mention God.
- It prohibits religious tests for public office.
- It separates church and state.
These choices reflect Enlightenment and classical ideas about civil government, not biblical governance. The Founders intentionally avoided creating a religious state.
🏺 4. Roman Symbolism Was Deliberately Adopted
Roman imagery is woven into the identity of the United States:
- The Capitol (named after Capitoline Hill)
- The Senate
- The eagle as a national emblem
- Fasces on government buildings
- Neoclassical architecture
These symbols were chosen to connect the new nation to the legacy of the Roman Republic.
📘 5. Christianity and Rome Played Different Roles
It is accurate to say that Christianity shaped the moral culture of early Americans. Churches, traditions, and religious communities influenced daily life. But the governmental framework—the Constitution, the branches of government, the legal system—was built on Roman and Enlightenment foundations.
✅ Conclusion
The idea that America was founded on Christian values oversimplifies a much richer historical reality. The United States is best understood as a republic built on:
- Roman political structure
- Classical philosophy
- Enlightenment principles
Christianity shaped the people, but Rome shaped the system. Recognizing this distinction helps us better understand the true intellectual heritage of the United States.
The Enlight Studies article highlights how deeply the United States was shaped by the political ideas, symbolism, and civic philosophy of the Roman Republic. The Founding Fathers were classically educated and drew heavily from Roman thinkers such as Cicero and Polybius when designing the American system of government. Key features like the Senate, checks and balances, civic virtue, and the rule of law all trace back to Roman models rather than religious doctrine.
The article also shows how Roman imagery became part of American identity: neoclassical architecture, the Capitol named after Capitoline Hill, the eagle emblem, and the use of fasces in government iconography. Even early American art portrayed leaders in Roman-style dress to emphasize continuity with republican ideals.
Overall, the piece argues that the United States is best understood as a modern successor to the Roman Republic, adopting its political structure, civic values, and symbolic language as the foundation of the nation.
