Asher Sisneros

Few nations throughout history invoke so many varying emotions as Rome. Its influence on Western civilization is arguably unmatched. The nation contributed militarily, literately, architecturally, and philosophically, but its greatest contribution may have been its tale of liberty.  

Roman literature and poetry are remembered today. In many ways, they borrowed and built on the Greeks. For example, Virgil’s Aeneid was inspired by Homer’s Iliad. Aeneas was a character in the Iliad who survived and fled Troy after Greek domination. In the Aeneid, Virgil traced Rome’s history back to Aeneas, a primarily ignored character in the Iliad, and built a legend around the man. This great poem is still read today. However, Virgil (70–19 BC) was not the only notable poet. Ovid (43 BC–17  AD) wrote Metamorphoses about the Roman gods and their fabulous yet horrifying tales taking place between the earth’s creation and Augustus Caesar. Horace (65–8 BC) was different than Ovid and Virgil in that he focused on human behavior and philosophy over historical poetry. His Satires and Odes elaborated on Stoic philosophy. Nevertheless, they are also celebrated in modern times. Virgil, Ovid, and Homer were only a few of the renowned poets in Rome who contributed to Western civilization through their poetry and philosophy. Their prominent impact on Latin literature pervades the West today.

The Latin language was another contribution to the West. Forty-seven languages today are Latin-based, with Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian being the most prominent. Additional languages like English, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish, and Albanian borrow from Latin without being directly derived. Much of the modern world’s languages were influenced by Roman Latin which likely resulted from the Republic turned Empire’s vast scope.

            Roman legacy also lives on through its architecture. Concrete construction was not mainstream before Rome,¹ but now concrete buildings are conventional. The United States White House and Capitol borrowed from Roman architecture, just like the Arc de Triomphe and Place Vendome in Paris. The use of gargantuan concrete columns was a Roman idea but is incorporated in the world today. Modern aqueducts and bridges were another Roman creation. While they existed in a primitive state before, Rome revolutionized them. Finally, inner looping roads reached their peak during the Roman Empire. It would be ludicrous to imagine a city in the developed world without extensive roads. That is thanks to Rome. What’s more, Rome’s unified state, consistent language, and extensive roads allowed Christianity to spread faster during the early centuries.² Even with the Christian persecutions in later years, the divine providence in Roman imperialism and its unified state, even if some call it dubious, was indubitably present. Christianity’s spread was aided by Roman institutions.

However, beyond literature, language, and architecture, Rome’s biggest contribution may have been the Republic’s political system and the premise of natural law. While its system was obscure during its age, the Roman Republic became a model in later centuries. When the Founders of America broke free of Great Britain’s tyrannical shackles, they created a government similar to Rome’s republic. The Senate and Congress were created similarly to Rome’s senate and assemblies. Even the president obtained parallels in duty to Rome’s consul(s). The difference is that the United States implemented more of a democratic republic by electing senators to six-year terms, not for life. Also, the United States embraced federalism, giving the states the most authority. The Founders also heavily admired Cicero, Rome’s great champion of liberty. His speeches invoked the people to defend their freedom against Julius Caesar’s dictatorship. After Caesar’s assassination by Cicero’s pro-republic allies, he focused his attention on Mark Antony, Caesar’s successor. He allied himself with Octavian, Caesar’s grand-nephew, to save the Republic. However, there was a great betrayal. In his time of weakness, Cicero was betrayed by Octavian, who became allies with Mark Antony and Lepidus. They formed the second triumvirate, a pact between the three men to advance their political ambitions. Since Cicero’s powerful voice threatened the triumvirate’s ploy for power, Antony murdered the great rhetorician who vigorously defended liberty. Cicero was heavily admired by the Founders as the Republic’s champion. He also explored the concept of natural law, which was arguably a Roman creation. While some might credit natural law to the Jews’ Mosaic law, the basis for inherent rights that all people have was explored by Rome as the Jews identified their “natural law” as just the law. So, while Cicero’s natural law had many parallels to the Jewish law, Rome established the concept of rights that all people have outside the law. A law that infringes on natural law is an illegitimate law that should be repealed immediately. It was this doctrine that Rome’s Cicero elaborated on, which the Founders sponsored. Today, most of the developed world believes in natural law (inalienable rights that all people have), and their governments have similarities to the Roman Republic.

In conclusion, Rome’s contributions to the West were immense. They influenced architecture, language, literature, and philosophy—but most importantly, natural law and government structure. However, the United States is under attack by a fringe upper-class minority that seeks to dissolve the Republic. Augustus Caesar gripped the Republic and consolidated power for himself with the counterfeit illusion that the Republic still existed. However, it was a farce, and the Romans failed to call the bluff. Cicero died resisting the descent into imperialism. Constitutional overreach is pertinent everywhere in the United States today. The Federal Government already possesses far more authority than designed by the Founders. Now, the Federal Government reaches its tentacles into education, banking, entertainment,³ media, and social media,⁴ and violates many aspects of the Constitution⁵—the very document the government is sworn to protect. Federalism is dying. Unless Americans are careful, their Republic will die, and liberty along with it.

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1. Roman architecture: https://architecturecompetitions.com/how-roman-architecture-influenced-modern-architecture ↩︎
2. Christianity spread faster because of Rome: https://www.history.com/news/5-ways-christianity-spread-through-ancient-rome ↩︎
3. United States government financing movies: https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2021/11/24/feds_spent_12b_in_taxpayer_money_spent_on_films_over_14_years_804462.html ↩︎
4. FBI involvement in regulating Twitter before Musk’s takeover: https://www.thefire.org/news/yes-you-should-be-worried-about-fbis-relationship-twitter#:~:text=users%20and%20content.-,The%20Twitter%20Files%20show%20the%20FBI%2C%20DHS%2C%20and%20other%20federal,containing%20purported%20election%2Drelated%20misinformation. ↩︎
5. Violating the Constitution: https://www.aei.org/research-products/speech/violating-the-constitution-with-impunity/ ↩︎