Articles with keyword: classical Greece

Timeless standards of democracy: JFK quotes ancient Athens
Anastasios Chamouzas


Volume 7, Issue 2

 | pp.



The political views of John Fitzgerald Kennedy seem to be deeply inspired by the ideals of liberty, equality and democratic governance of classical Greece, established and widely accepted in the western world as the “cradle of democracy”. His persuasive rhetoric often includes quotes and symbolism from the legacy and splendour of ancient Athens, its standard values and democratic principles, as well as its legal and political institutions. Kennedy quotes the encomium of Pericles’ Funeral Oration to the exemplary democratic system of Athens to juxtapose it to the values of liberty of his homeland, which differentiate it from other states in the eyes of the world; both Athens and Massachusetts are proved to be a special example, a “City upon a Hill”, because of their unique political achievements (for freedom and against tyranny).