Parallel Lives: Romans and the American Founders

by Karl Baughman, Brook Poston

This book compares selected Romans of the late Republic with American Founders in the style of Plutarch, encouraging readers to rethink how we view heroes and villains and their conceptions of republicanism.

Through entertaining yet informative short comparisons, this volume demonstrates the humanity of heroes and villains from different times and places through their often idiosyncratic similarities and differences. Readers gain not only a fuller understanding of the late Roman and early American Republics and their leaders but also an appreciation for comparative biography in its ability to make connections across the human experience. The book provides a way to connect two different areas of study, focusing on how republicanism shaped both Romans and American Founders and providing a previously unexplored contribution to a growing trend of broadening historical exposure. In doing so, Baughman and Poston demonstrate the continued need for connecting different fields of history while also helping students understand their connection to the ancient past.

This book is suitable for students and scholars interested in the late Roman and the early American Republics and also appeals to readers of varied interests across historical times and places, particularly those studying the connections between the classical past and modern world.

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2022

Reviews

[Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baughman's comparison of Cato and Benjamin Franklin is fascinating. He paints these two as having similar philosophies despite Cato fully embracing the tradition and past as the way forward and Franklin as a late-to-the-party but ardent revolutionary. These two men, who differed on almost every account, have some similarities but fully different philosophies yet are seen as the epitome of Roman Republic Traditionalism and the "First American".

[Sarah Baughman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t read many academic books, but I made an exception with this one. To me, it appeared well-researched and thoughtfully constructed, with little stories sprinkled throughout from the lives of the men discussed. It was interesting to learn more about the historical figures and to contemplate their impact on the fabric of our shared humanity.

[Joe Pelusi · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good

The author makes interesting comparisons. Who is our modern Sulla? Our Augustus? Read this book and find out. (In the author’s opinion — yours may differ.)