Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, visited Greece and gave an important speech on the Pnyx with the Parthenon as his background. There have been many comments on the content of his speech and its symbolism. Many from the left criticized it, some from the right praised it.
One comment I did not like was that Mr. Rubio was speaking of Greece when most Americans have no idea where Greece is. As an academic who teaches young Americans ancient Greek history, I can assure the readers that many Americans know not only where Greece is located, but also much of its ancient history.
I am a modern European historian by training but teaching at a small liberal arts college I have some leeway; some years ago, I offered to teach just one class on ancient Greece and Rome. It was an experiment that succeeded; for 12 years now, I have been teaching this course every fall semester. For a course that is not required, it is always at or near capacity I am convinced that I could teach it twice a year and still have 30-35 students per class. Every year, on the first day of class, I ask my students what motivates them, young Americans living in the Midwest in the 21st century, to take this class. Most say that they know and love Greek mythology, many refer to movies (“300,” “The Odyssey”) and video games. A few have taken high school courses.
My school is private but not elite. Most of our students are working class and the first of their family to attend college; many are second- or third-generation immigrants from Asia or Africa. And yet, they want to learn about ancient Greece. They read the textbooks, attend my lectures faithfully and ask questions. They are fascinated by Sparta’s culture; austere and militaristic but one that allowed females great freedom. They marvel at Athenian democracy and culture, but they also question how such a vibrant culture would make so many mistakes.
Above all they seem to draw parallels between ancient Greece and modern America. How Athenians, masters of democracy, were susceptible to demagogues; how Greek power became hubris that brought about disaster. They also learn and talk about the impact ancient Greece, and Rome, had on the founding of their country. And they learn how America’s Founding Fathers were well versed in Greek history and the classics; some of them could read them in the original language. And they learn how America’s founders admired ancient Greece but also recognized the shortcomings of Athenian democracy and crafted something different for their new country.
My students also note how ancient architecture influenced early Americans, with government and university buildings made in the ancient mode. And they note how the good people of Tennessee, when celebrating the centennial of their state, built a copy of the Parthenon to denote how their state capital, Nashville, was known as “Athens of the South” due to its many universities. They also learn that many Americans chose to name their towns after ancient Greek ones; Athens and Sparta are not uncommon names.
In short, many Americans know and admire ancient Greece and see the connection between their country and ours. Rubio might have made a good or bad speech, his visit to Greece might have been a success or it might not, but Greece has fertile ground in America to keep developing close relations through our common heritage.
John Athanasios Mazis is professor of history at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
