3 Ways Plato Influenced the American Founding Fathers

From George Washington to James Madison, the men who established America cherished the classics. 

“The School of Athens” fresco by Renaissance artist Raphael depicting the Platonic Academy, a famous school in ancient Athens founded by the philosopher Plato in the early 4th century B.C. At the center are Plato and Aristotle, in discussion. Public Domain

In 1778, while camped at Valley Forge, American revolutionaries watched a live performance of Joseph Addison’s 1713 tragedy “Cato: A Tragedy.” It displayed the last days of the Roman senator’s heroic opposition to tyranny. The performance was requested by George Washington, who defied a congressional ban on theater productions to inspire his tired soldiers with great tales of ancient times.

The first American president wasn’t the only Founding Father who loved the classics. In an 1825 letter to Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson proudly admitted that the Declaration of Independence was inspired by Aristotle and Cicero’s notions of public right. Another ancient philosopher who left a mark on the American Founders was Aristotle’s mentor, Plato, about whom the American luminaries were ambivalent.

Here are three ways Plato influenced the Founders’ conclusions about how to best structure a good society.

"Plato's Symposium," 1869, by Anselm Feuerbach. Oil on canvas; 19 feet, 7 2/5 inches by 9 feet, 8 1/8 inches. Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Germany. Public Domain

A Republic Cannot Flourish Without Virtuous Citizens

Plato thought that a society couldn’t function well if its citizens weren’t virtuous. In his famous “Republic,” he described the polis as a reflection of each of its citizens’ souls. A society lacks whatever its citizens lack, and it displays what they possess. If citizens are money-hungry and pleasure-driven, their society will prize wealth and pleasure above all else. If they’re just, temperate, courageous, and wise, so will their communities be. 

The Founding Fathers took to heart the ancients’ emphasis on civic virtue. “Every man,” said Jefferson, must share “in the direction of his ward republic, or of some of the higher ones” and participate “in the government of affairs not merely at an election one day in the year, but every day.”

Whatever form it took, virtuous participation in the Republic was essential to its flourishing. To Plato’s hypothetical citizens, active participation meant the diligent pursuit of whatever skill or trade one happened to exercise. For American patriots, civic virtue could mean serving on juries, school boards, or even the military.

Plato believed sticking to one’s occupation* would maintain social harmony. Bakers should master the art of baking and soldiers should master the art of war. But Plato’s support for occupational silos were less of a focus to Americans.

Our Founding Fathers looked to the past to create a positive future for our nation. Voinakh/Shutterstock

A Country Must Protect Freedom and Promote Social Mobility

Although Plato and the Founders both considered virtue essential, they had different visions of the state’s role in helping citizens pursue moral development. Plato was happy to restrict freedom in the name of order. Citizens of his republic could rarely rise above their circumstances. Birth defined class, and class defined the future. Even his “philosopher kings,” who were supposed to govern the state wisely, were destined to live a regimented life without private property or monogamous relationships. Freedom to pursue a destiny different than the one inherited at birth wasn’t part of Plato’s vision.

Plato’s depreciation of freedom made Jefferson question the worth of the “Republic.” Yet it remains one of the most famous books in history: “How it could have been that the world should have so long consented to give reputation to such nonsense?”

Unlike Plato’s republicanism, the American Constitution explicitly protects citizens’ freedom to pursue happiness, which it defines as an inalienable right. Private property is essential to this pursuit, for it enables citizens’ autonomy from the state and its draconian overreaches.

As James Madison wrote in 1792, “Government is instituted to protect property of every sort. ... That alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man, whatever is his own.” Citizens have a right to live freely. That includes the right to seek socioeconomic improvement. In the American vision, rising above our circumstances is not only possible, but also desirable and encouraged.

Autocracy Must Be Avoided at All Costs

One of the central allegories of the “Republic” is the “ship of state.” Plato thought that the masses wouldn’t appreciate the “true pilot” of the state. He will be dubbed a “star-gazer” or a “good for nothing.” Nevertheless, Plato suggested that such a man deserved to rule because only he knew “the year and seasons and sky and stars and winds, and whatever else belongs to his art.” Knowledge and wisdom must never be dethroned.

"Allegory: the Ship of State," late 16th century, by Frans Franken I. Oil on panel; 19 1/2 inches by 17 1/2 inches. Royal Museums Greenwich, London. Public Domain

One of the central allegories of the “Republic” is the “ship of state,” which likens governing a state to piloting a ship. Plato argued that the only person fit to captain the ship is the “philosopher king,” a benevolent man with access to special knowledge. His status resembles divine-right kingship. Instead of God, reason is the source of his right to rule.

Plato thought that the masses would not appreciate this “true pilot.” He would be dubbed a “star-gazer” or a “good for nothing.” Yet Plato also suggested that such a man deserves to rule without question. Knowledge must never be dethroned.

The Founders disliked the notion of a benevolent ruler. In “Federalist 10,” Madison responded directly to Plato’s allegory: “Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.” It’s not that “enlightened” statesmen couldn’t exist, or that their service would be worthless. Rather, the Founders didn’t trust a political system that gave power either to a single individual or to a special class of rulers, especially if that system wouldn’t allow citizens to challenge the ruling authorities.

Madison and other luminaries appreciated wisdom and knowledge, which they thought should inform rulers and citizens alike. But they staunchly rejected authoritarianism. After all, that was the very system from which they sought liberation.

Detail, “Declaration of Independence,” 1819, by John Trumbull, depicting the Committee of Five—John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Public Domain

Ideas Fuel Revolutions

The American Founding Fathers loved the Western classical tradition, including Plato. Despite their reservations about the Greek philosopher’s ideas, the Founders still took his proposals seriously. They knew that studying ideas would help them make informed decisions about the nation’s future.

Plato deepened their appreciation of civic virtue, and he bolstered their suspicions about autocracy. The Founders’ commitment to truth and philosophical inquiry eventually built the American Republic, which remains a rare example of freedom and prosperity in the history of the world.

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