The Politics and Piety of Neoclassical Architecture: How Early American Elites Practiced an Old Religion to Subvert the New One

Authors

Christopher Saint-Carter, San Jose State University

Abstract

The Western political revolutions of the 18^th century established the ideals of liberty, patriotism, and democracy the United States government grounds its identity into this day. The motive of these ideals, particularly their visual manifestation in Neoclassical government architecture, remain unquestioned. This study provides a historical analysis of the psychology informing the early American elite’s choice to structure the new nation around Roman political and aesthetic standards. Chronicling the subservience inherent in Roman civic religion, as well as the internalizing nature of visual propaganda, the borrowed ancient schematic proves to be a method of de-revolutionizing the American people at the expense of their liberty. These results suggest a trend in the state’s use of the built environment to restrain individualism and continue the cycle of aesthetic injustice in the emergent urban space.

Recommended Citation

Saint-Carter, Christopher (2023) "The Politics and Piety of Neoclassical Architecture: How Early American Elites Practiced an Old Religion to Subvert the New One," Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science: Vol. 11 : Iss. 1 , Article 11.
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/themis/vol11/iss1/11