Oh they studied the Greeks. And they decided Plato was dead wrong. He wanted an elite of “Guardians”. They were to be raised in a communist collective by professional child raisers and then elevate to rule over society. Then halfway ok people called auxiliaries to watch out for the interests of Guardians, and then the lowly “producers”.
Plato. Plato is the direct reason for the Jefferson Quote about some people not being born with saddles, nor other born to ride.
Cicero was a much bigger influence on our founders.
“the form which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. all eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. the general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view. the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of god. these are grounds of hope for others. for ourselves”
“the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of god. these are grounds of hope for others. for ourselves”
I remember that quote, he remained defiant until the end.