Impeachment and Accountability in Ancient Rome and America: An Examination of the Rhetorical Strategies against Officials in Ancient and Modern Day Pubblico
Gross, Isabelle (Spring 2020)
Published
Abstract
With an education grounded in the classics, the American founders had significant knowledge and awareness of ancient government forms and political ideals that would prove useful in the constitutional debates. The ancient Roman government did not function as a direct model for America, but the founders were highly aware of legal writings from classical antiquity and adopted aspects of ancient Roman government in the creation of the American government. The founders put in place mechanisms to check the powers of government branches and avoid tyranny similar to that of ancient Romans. Partially relying on classical precedent, the founders created a process of impeachment in the Constitution, demonstrating the necessity to hold officials accountable for wrongdoings in office that harks back to ancient Rome.
The classical precedent of impeachment continued on in the trial of President Andrew Johnson, when an impeachment manager compared Johnson to Gaius Verres, a disgraced Roman governor who underwent his own “impeachment” trial in 70 BC. This classical citation in an American impeachment trial presents a valuable opportunity to examine the arguments against officials in ancient Rome and in America. In an effort to draw a deeper connection between ancient and modern government, a closer look at “impeachment” trials in ancient Rome and America illustrates that arguments against officials take a similar form in both governments. This thesis employs as primary evidence the trials of Gaius Verres, of Andrew Johnson, and of William Clinton to argue that issues of character, abuse of power, and expectations of an office holder are central to the arguments against officials in both ancient Rome and America. In this way, ancient Rome and America not only share similarities in government structure and the function of impeachment, but also in the rhetorical strategies used against officials in trial.
Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…..1
Chapter 1. The Mixed Government of Ancient Rome…………............………………………..…..…………………...….3
Chapter 2. Impeachment and Accountability in Ancient Rome……..............…………………..……………….….….17
Chapter 3. The Trial of Gaius Verres……………………………………………........………………………………….…….…26
Chapter 4. Classical Reception of the American Founders………….…….............………………………….………..…45
Chapter 5. The Trial of Andrew Johnson…………………………………………………………........…………..……....…..57
Chapter 6. The Trial of William Clinton………………………………………………………………......……………..…...…81
Conclusion and Further Work…………………………………………………….……….………………......…......……....…..99
Bibliography………………………………….………………………………………………………………………....…….…...….103
About this Honors Thesis
| School | |
|---|---|
| Department | |
| Degree | |
| Submission | |
| Language |
|
| Research Field | |
| Parola chiave | |
| Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor | |
| Committee Members |
Primary PDF
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Impeachment and Accountability in Ancient Rome and America: An Examination of the Rhetorical Strategies against Officials in Ancient and Modern Day () | 2020-04-13 22:31:12 -0400 |
|
Supplemental Files
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Actions |
|---|