In New York, there are many buildings. Many styles of architecture are there despite it's relatively short history. Modern skyscrapers tombed in glass stand beside pre-war flats. One building, the New York Public Library, was built in a style resurrected from antiquity. Corinthian columns hold arches aloft as marble-carved philosophers peer over fifth avenue. This feat of Neo-classical architecture is evidence of the attitudes and beliefs of earlier generations, but what were those beliefs? and why were they expressed in marbled grandeur? America is dotted with pillars and obelisks; they stab from the ground as monuments to a lost mentality. The common person can only see the formality of the Neo-classical style, yet the architecture actually hides a secret history.
New York, The Iconic American City, is steeped in marble. Form her foundation as New Amsterdam, the city has known the thoughts and feelings of her citizens. While the feelings have been lost in the wind, the shells remain as buildings, art, and literature. A century ago, the people thought differently about life. Their buildings testify to their thirst for greatness. Their art suggest a romance with antiquity. And their literature proves that they cried over the loss of wisdom had by Rome.
Every American founder has their own story, but one thing seems to be a constant in each: the longing. The feelings of deep contemplation wondering what happened to Mankind. Most of the founders knew Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Jefferson even knew Anglo-Saxon. They wanted to read the classics in their original languages. This wasn't because of some aesthetic motivation (e.g. the painter's appreciation of nature or the author's praise of prose) but it was feelings of loss, of ignorance, and of hope. Their desire was wisdom and counsel. We today can relate to that feeling of despair when no truth seems apparent. They sought and found the Truth in the classics. Truth is as dew, there is a dab on every blade of grass, but without looking to the sky as the source, no truth can be gathered.
The founders, and even the renaissance men before them, had one object: truth, also named wisdom. Reading their words exposes the soul, as if a person could pick up their inner-thoughts and hold them in his' hand. Consider Petrarch born in 1304, was the first to coin the term "dark ages." which is incredibly ironic because he was living in them! Petrarch lived in a time where knowledge was controlled and minds commanded. A man was in danger of hell-fire for thinking a thought that wasn't in line with the official canon. How did he feel? How would you feel? Where in a world of darkness, can one find truth? Friends speak the gossip of the times, and teachers speak the propaganda of the times.
Whatever he felt, it motivated him. He searched Europe over for lost manuscripts: letters of Cicero, poetry of Seneca, and the histories of Livy. He conversed with the ancients. They were his' window to a world of golden sunlight and warmth; an age where the world wasn't quite so dark. He would write his replies back to his old and past friends. This is the beginning of one of the letters he wrote to Cicero:
"I have read thy letters through to the end most eagerly—letters for which I had diligently searched far and wide, and which I finally came upon where I least expected. I have heard thee speak on many subjects, give voice to many laments, and waver frequently in thy opinions, O Marcus Tullius. Hitherto I knew what true counsel thou gavest to others; now, at last, I have learned to what degree thou didst prove mentor to thyself."
His sentiments are clear. He was the first of many to feel them. Men like Isaac Newton and John Adams were to follow. It became mainstream to read the classics and emulate the ideas they contained eventually. The Renaissance was a time where many people began to bring back the old ways of life; in fact, "renaissance" in Italian literally means "rebirth." That rebirth refers to the rebirth of classical ideals and values.
When the Founders of America built our new system of government, they applied these values into the Constitution. Rome inspired them to adopt a system of government of checks and balances. It also gave them a guide book of what rights a citizen has. The Roman forum acted as a blueprint for the English courtroom. Many other examples of American identity can be drawn from Roman roots. The Romans were the proto-Americans.
Thus, when the founders went to build their homes and senates, they gave their building's life. The pillars and the marble and the domes and the pyramid steps are all a little whisper of ancient ideals. These structures are the standing evidence: an ideal in memorial. So when you find yourself in New York next time, walking past the Met or look at the arch in Washington Square Park, remember the passions, wishes, and dreams they represent. They are a hope for the future.
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