American History Symbolism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American History Symbolism - Essay Example Republicanism, a political philosophy which will be defined further, is, in history, a long tradition of writings which express common concerns about â€Å"the importance of civic virtue and political participation, the dangers of corruption, the benefits of a mixed constitution and the rule of law, etc† (Lovett). Combining the two concepts, a symbol of republicanism is an object which stands for or suggests the ideals of historic republicanism—values of liberty, individual rights, rule of law, and so on—by reason of relationship, association, convention, and so on. In early America, the symbolism was needed to retain loyalty to the ideals which caused the colonists to fight the tyrannical rule of the King; such a symbol would need to remind these individuals of the momentous nature of their endeavor. To do this, the symbol should draw a direct connection between this endeavor and the glorious histories of the greatest civilizations of mankind, bypassing the ages of Darkness and ushering in the Enlightenment. First of all, however, it may be instructive to explore the history of republicanism in order to define it: to contrast both classical and modern versions of the philosophy. In Ancient Rome, the Roman Republic existed from 508 B.C. to 27 B.C., when the government was structured by a complex constitution, forming a mixture of three types of government. It was only during the Enlightenment that we see the strong emphasis on civic virtue and the common good (Lovett).